Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to end HIV and AIDS in women and girls around the world.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
As part of efforts to end the preventable deaths of mothers, newborns and children, the UK funds UNAIDS, the Robert Carr Fund and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. On 8th December, Minister of State Mitchell met with Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS, and discussed our shared priorities on gender equality and the importance of this for progress on HIV. Our recent £1 billion pledge to the Global Fund will help to save over 1 million lives and avert over 28 million new infections across the three diseases, and will help to provide medicine for 170,000 mothers to prevent transmission of HIV to their babies. The UK also funds research on HIV and AIDS, such as the development, through the International Partnership on Microbiocides, of the dapivirine ring. This is the first long-acting HIV prevention product for women of its kind. The UK also invests in health systems strengthening to improve access to quality health services for all, including services for the prevention of HIV and to reduce AIDS related deaths.
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to end HIV and AIDS in children around the world.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
As part of efforts to end the preventable deaths of mothers, newborns and children, the UK funds UNAIDS, the Robert Carr Fund and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. On 8th December, Minister of State Mitchell met with Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS, and discussed our shared priorities on gender equality and the importance of this for progress on HIV. Our recent £1 billion pledge to the Global Fund will help to save over 1 million lives and avert over 28 million new infections across the three diseases, and will help to provide medicine for 170,000 mothers to prevent transmission of HIV to their babies. The UK also funds research on HIV and AIDS, such as the development, through the International Partnership on Microbiocides, of the dapivirine ring. This is the first long-acting HIV prevention product for women of its kind. The UK also invests in health systems strengthening to improve access to quality health services for all, including services for the prevention of HIV and to reduce AIDS related deaths.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the development of new tools and medicines to tackle the global TB epidemic.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK Government through FCDO supports research and development for diseases of poverty such as Tuberculosis (TB) through Product Development Partnerships. This includes funding of £56.4 million to the TB Alliance since 2017. TB Alliance has developed novel treatment regimen that are shorter, safer and more effective including for multi-drug resistant strains of TB. Additionally, FCDO support to the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics has helped to develop novel diagnostics for TB including the GenXpert technology to diagnose resistant TB in under 4 hours now in use in over 140 countries globally.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
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 steps his Department can take to help tackle the increase in the number of people dying from TB globally as outlined in the World Health Organisation’s 2022 Global Tuberculosis Report.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The World Health Organisation's 2022 Global Tuberculosis Report estimates that 10.6 million people fell ill with TB in 2021, a 4.5 per cent increase from the previous year. The number of people dying from TB rose from 1.5 to 1.6 million, the second successive yearly rise. The report also shows a 3 per cent increase in the burden of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB), with 450,000 new cases of rifampicin-resistant TB (RR-TB) in 2021. These increases follow many years of sustained progress to reduce the burden of TB and reflect the impact of COVID-19 on country health systems.
The UK Government supports the World Health Organisation's End TB strategy towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 3.3 target to end the epidemic of tuberculosis by 2030. The UK's £1 billion pledge for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria's seventh replenishment will help the Global Fund and its partners provide TB treatment and care for 1.1 million people, screen 20 million people for TB, and provide 42,000 people with treatment for multidrug-resistant TB. In addition to this the Government also supports research and development in to new tools, evidence and medicine to combat TB; catalytic interventions to bring down prices of new products and tackle barriers to widespread access to TB diagnostics and treatments; and provides bilateral support to TB endemic countries to strengthen their health systems.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to provide funding for international programmes to help support people with tuberculosis with the high costs they incur as a consequence of that illness.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The World Health Organisation's 2022 Global Tuberculosis Report estimates that 10.6 million people fell ill with TB in 2021, a 4.5 per cent increase from the previous year. The number of people dying from TB rose from 1.5 to 1.6 million, the second successive yearly rise. The report also shows a 3 per cent increase in the burden of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB), with 450,000 new cases of rifampicin-resistant TB (RR-TB) in 2021. These increases follow many years of sustained progress to reduce the burden of TB and reflect the impact of COVID-19 on country health systems.
The UK Government supports the World Health Organisation's End TB strategy towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 3.3 target to end the epidemic of tuberculosis by 2030. The UK's £1 billion pledge for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria's seventh replenishment will help the Global Fund and its partners provide TB treatment and care for 1.1 million people, screen 20 million people for TB, and provide 42,000 people with treatment for multidrug-resistant TB. In addition to this the Government also supports research and development in to new tools, evidence and medicine to combat TB; catalytic interventions to bring down prices of new products and tackle barriers to widespread access to TB diagnostics and treatments; and provides bilateral support to TB endemic countries to strengthen their health systems.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to bilaterally facilitate the eradication to TB globally.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The World Health Organisation's 2022 Global Tuberculosis Report estimates that 10.6 million people fell ill with TB in 2021, a 4.5 per cent increase from the previous year. The number of people dying from TB rose from 1.5 to 1.6 million, the second successive yearly rise. The report also shows a 3 per cent increase in the burden of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB), with 450,000 new cases of rifampicin-resistant TB (RR-TB) in 2021. These increases follow many years of sustained progress to reduce the burden of TB and reflect the impact of COVID-19 on country health systems.
The UK Government supports the World Health Organisation's End TB strategy towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 3.3 target to end the epidemic of tuberculosis by 2030. The UK's £1 billion pledge for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria's seventh replenishment will help the Global Fund and its partners provide TB treatment and care for 1.1 million people, screen 20 million people for TB, and provide 42,000 people with treatment for multidrug-resistant TB. In addition to this the Government also supports research and development in to new tools, evidence and medicine to combat TB; catalytic interventions to bring down prices of new products and tackle barriers to widespread access to TB diagnostics and treatments; and provides bilateral support to TB endemic countries to strengthen their health systems.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure TB is eradicated globally by 2030 in line with SDG 3.3.2.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The World Health Organisation's 2022 Global Tuberculosis Report estimates that 10.6 million people fell ill with TB in 2021, a 4.5 per cent increase from the previous year. The number of people dying from TB rose from 1.5 to 1.6 million, the second successive yearly rise. The report also shows a 3 per cent increase in the burden of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB), with 450,000 new cases of rifampicin-resistant TB (RR-TB) in 2021. These increases follow many years of sustained progress to reduce the burden of TB and reflect the impact of COVID-19 on country health systems.
The UK Government supports the World Health Organisation's End TB strategy towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 3.3 target to end the epidemic of tuberculosis by 2030. The UK's £1 billion pledge for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria's seventh replenishment will help the Global Fund and its partners provide TB treatment and care for 1.1 million people, screen 20 million people for TB, and provide 42,000 people with treatment for multidrug-resistant TB. In addition to this the Government also supports research and development in to new tools, evidence and medicine to combat TB; catalytic interventions to bring down prices of new products and tackle barriers to widespread access to TB diagnostics and treatments; and provides bilateral support to TB endemic countries to strengthen their health systems.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
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 implications for his policies of the World Health Organisation’s 2022 Global Tuberculosis Report.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The World Health Organisation's 2022 Global Tuberculosis Report estimates that 10.6 million people fell ill with TB in 2021, a 4.5 per cent increase from the previous year. The number of people dying from TB rose from 1.5 to 1.6 million, the second successive yearly rise. The report also shows a 3 per cent increase in the burden of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB), with 450,000 new cases of rifampicin-resistant TB (RR-TB) in 2021. These increases follow many years of sustained progress to reduce the burden of TB and reflect the impact of COVID-19 on country health systems.
The UK Government supports the World Health Organisation's End TB strategy towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 3.3 target to end the epidemic of tuberculosis by 2030. The UK's £1 billion pledge for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria's seventh replenishment will help the Global Fund and its partners provide TB treatment and care for 1.1 million people, screen 20 million people for TB, and provide 42,000 people with treatment for multidrug-resistant TB. In addition to this the Government also supports research and development in to new tools, evidence and medicine to combat TB; catalytic interventions to bring down prices of new products and tackle barriers to widespread access to TB diagnostics and treatments; and provides bilateral support to TB endemic countries to strengthen their health systems.
Asked by: John Redwood (Conservative - Wokingham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government takes to assess the suitability and value for money of (a) projects organised by and (b) grants from international organisations.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The suitability and value for money of international organisations receiving Official Development Assistance (ODA), including the projects they organise and grants they provide, is continually assessed through FCDO annual reviews and business cases, as set out in the Department's Programme Operating Framework.
The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) independently scrutinises UK ODA to international organisations to assess value for money and impact, including recent ICAI reviews of tackling fraud in multilateral organisations and of the UK's work with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM). The UK is also a member of the Multilateral Organisation Performance Assessment Network (MOPAN), which carries out regular assessments of multilateral organisations.
Asked by: Baroness Sheehan (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of their pledge to the Seventh Replenishment of the Global Fund on (1) the United States' contribution, (2) the incentive for other potential donors, (3) the role and influence of the UK within the Global Fund, and (4) health outcomes.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK is a committed supporter of the Global Fund and is the third largest historical donor, investing over £4.4 billion to date. The UK has pledged £1 billion to the Global Fund's seventh replenishment. This pledge has unlocked a further £500 million from the US match fund. The responsibility of funding the Global Fund is shared across governments, the private sector, and private foundations; the UK will continue to encourage everyone to play their part - inspiring others with our significant commitment. The UK will continue to hold a seat on the Board and will work with other constituencies to ensure the Global Fund makes the greatest impact. The UK pledge to the Seventh Replenishment will help save over one million lives and avert over 28 million infections of the three diseases.