Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent progress she has made in helping to tackle (a) TB (b) HIV/Aids and (c) Malaria.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government remains committed to work to meet Sustainable Development target 3.3, including to end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria, and supports several of the organisations at the forefront of the response including the Global Fund, Gavi, the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, the Stop TB Partnership, UNAIDS and WHO.
For example, in 2024, through our support to the Global Fund - whose Eighth Replenishment we are proud to be co-hosting with South Africa - 25.6 million people are on antiretroviral therapy for HIV, 7.4 million people were treated for TB, and 162 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets were distributed.
We are also encouraged by the recent steps towards expanding access to lenacapavir as a key HIV prevention tool, thanks to effective coordination across UK-supported partners including the Global Fund, Unitaid and CHAI.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of effectiveness of UK funding for (a) the United Nations Development Programme and (b) Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) assesses the effectiveness, value for money, performance and relevance of UK funding to multilateral organisations including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), through annual reviews and continuously encouraging effectiveness in delivery and reform where necessary. The FCDO scrutinises UN budget proposals to ensure activities are effective and in line with UK priorities.
Asked by: Lord Fowler (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the reduction in resources provided by the Government and voluntary sector to tackle HIV and AIDS domestically since the beginning of the year.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to ending HIV transmissions within England by 2030 and is developing the new HIV Action Plan, which we aim to publish this year.
There has been no reduction in resources provided by the Government to address HIV domestically since the beginning of the year.
In 2025/2026, the Government has increased funding through the ringfenced Public Health Grant, and the 100% retained business rate arrangement for local authorities in Greater Manchester, to £3.858 billion. This represents a significant turning point for local health services, marking the biggest real-terms increase after nearly a decade of reduced spending.
£27 million of additional funding was confirmed for 2025/26 to expand and continue the highly successful National Health Service emergency department opt-out HIV testing programme until March 2026, which has helped to identify more than 1,500 untreated or undiagnosed HIV cases in its first 36 months.
Furthermore, HIV Prevention England, which is the national HIV prevention programme for England funded by the Department and delivered by the Terrence Higgins Trust, has been extended for a year until March 2026, and is backed by £1.5 million of additional funding.
The Government has not estimated the HIV/AIDS resources provided by the voluntary sector.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK’s contribution to the Global Fund on lives saved from (a) malaria, (b) tuberculosis and (c) HIV/AIDS.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Global Fund is a high performing partnership that has saved 65 million lives and reduced combined deaths across HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria by 63 per cent since 2002. The UK is a founding member and committed partner of the Global Fund, investing over £5.5 billion to date. Our current £1bn pledge to the 7th replenishment (2023-25) is expected to save approximately 1.3 million lives and avert 28 million new infections across the three diseases. Amongst other things, this funding is expected to provide antiretroviral therapy for 1.8 million people, provide TB treatment and care for 1.1 million people and distribute 86 million mosquito nets to protect children and families from malaria.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the UK’s health security against (a) malaria, (b) tuberculosis and (c) HIV/AIDS.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) holds data on all malaria cases diagnosed in the United Kingdom by the Malaria Reference Laboratory (MRL) and Public Health Scotland. The MRL’s extensive service to users in the UK includes: malaria diagnosis; epidemiological data; prophylaxis advice to health professionals; and technical advice on methodology and laboratory procedures. Almost all malaria cases diagnosed in the UK are associated with recent travel to an endemic area, and the UKHSA is working with the African Diaspora Malaria Initiative to reduce the burden of malaria in particularly affected groups. Where cases are identified as having no recent travel history, a full investigation is undertaken by the UKHSA. A standard approach to managing these cases is under development.
Information regarding malaria cases diagnosed in the UK is published on GOV.UK website, with annual reports and statistics on malaria imported to the UK available, respectively, at the following two links:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/malaria-in-the-uk-annual-report
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/imported-malaria-in-the-uk-statistics
The UKHSA and NHS England’s joint tuberculosis (TB) action plan for England details actions to achieve a 90% reduction in people with TB by 2035, aligned with World Health Organization elimination targets. The plan is available at the following link:
The UK pre-entry TB screening programme operates in 102 countries, to reduce the importation of TB by screening applicants for long term visas from high TB incidence countries. People are screened in line with the UK Tuberculosis Technical Instructions, which are available at the following link:
Active TB can be prevented by identifying, testing, and treating people with TB infection. People who are close contacts of individuals with infectious TB are also tested for infection, so they can be treated before the disease develops.
The NHS England national latent TB testing programme for migrants from high incidence countries operates in 27 of the 42 integrated care board areas in England.
In March 2025, NHS England and The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital published a Getting it Right First Time review of TB services, which included a series of recommendations to reduce unwarranted variation in clinical practice and improve care, especially to underserved populations. The report is available at the following link:
The UKHSA, in collaboration with key stakeholders, is leading work to develop a new national action plan for 2026 to 2031, including a call for evidence.
The Government is committed to ending new transmissions of HIV in England by 2030. The Department, the UKHSA, NHS England, and partners are developing the new HIV Action Plan for England, which we aim to publish this year.
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall and Camberwell Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of UK efforts to increase the global availability of medicines to prevent HIV.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains committed to sustainable development goal 3.3 including ending AIDS by 2030. The UK supports partners including UNAIDS, Unitaid, and the Global Fund to improve equitable access to HIV prevention services tailored to individual needs. In 2023, the Global Fund partnership reached 17.9 million people with HIV prevention services. Unitaid recently committed $17 million in market-shaping grants to accelerate affordable access to long-acting lenacapavir for HIV prevention. UK investment in research and development supported the development of the dapivirine vaginal ring, another important tool for HIV prevention.
Asked by: David Mundell (Conservative - Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the Global Fund on tackling (a) HIV (b) tuberculosis and (c) and malaria globally.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria is the world's largest multilateral funder of global health grants in low- and middle-income countries . Since 2002, the Global Fund partnership has saved over 65 million lives and reduced the combined death rate from the three diseases by 63 per cent. In countries where the Global Fund invests, AIDS-related deaths have been reduced by 73 per cent, TB deaths have been reduced by 36 per cent and malaria deaths have been reduced by 28 per cent.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to take steps to encourage (a) the private sector and (b) other donors to increase funding for global HIV prevention and treatment.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the co-host with South Africa of the 8th replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the UK is actively engaging with both international counterparts and private sector partners to advocate for maintaining or increasing funding for global health, including HIV prevention and treatment. The Minister for the Indo-Pacific attended an event in parliament on 2 April celebrating the contribution of the private sector where the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) made a landmark $150 million pledge to the 8th replenishment. The Minister welcomed this significant contribution from a British partner which demonstrates the key role of the private sector in the fight against HIV and AIDS, TB and malaria, and global health more broadly.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of the report by the Lancet entitled Impact of an international HIV funding crisis on HIV infections and mortality in low income and middle income countries, a modelling study, published on 26 March 2025.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK takes note of the current context for international HIV funding. We remain committed to our long-standing support to global health organisations at the core of the response to HIV and AIDS, and we continue to support efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. We are excited to be co-hosting the 8th replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria together with South Africa. In countries where the Global Fund invests, AIDS-related deaths have declined by 73 per cent since 2002.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has for the funding of (a) the Global Fund and (b) other global HIV programmes, in the context of the planned reduction in Official Development Assistance spending.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains committed to tackling global health challenges and will continue to work with all international partners towards the collective goal of a healthier, safer and more prosperous world. As part of this, we are proud to be co-hosting the 8th replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria with South Africa. Decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review, based on various factors including impact assessments.