To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much Government money has been spent on HIV/AIDS awareness and related campaigns over the past five years; and how many HIV/AIDS cases have been diagnosed during that period.

The table sets out the allocations from April 1988 onwards to the health education authority (HEA) towards the development of HIV and AIDS related public awareness and education initiatives. These amounts include the contributions towards the costs of the National AIDS Helpline and related telephone information services. Not shown in the tables are the amounts spent by other Government Departments on HIV prevention work within their own spheres of interest.Between 1985–86 and 1992–93 the Government have allocated over £73 million to the development of the national AIDS public education campaign. Over and above this, since 1989–90 contributions have been made towards the additional costs incurred by regional and district health authorities in the development of local HIV prevention initiatives. For 1992–93 these amount to £21 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what study has been undertaken of the similarity between the type of birth control practised in some parts of Africa and known homosexual behaviour, and the implications of this for the increase in HIV/AIDS among heterosexuals in Africa and homosexuals elsewhere.

I will write to my hon. Friend with the information that he requests as soon as it is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what forecasts were made by her Department for the number of heterosexuals likely to be affected by the HIV/AIDS virus in each of the past five years; and what were the actual numbers so affected, excluding drug users and the suffering from contaminated blood.

The Day report, "Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome in England and Wales" estimated that at the end of 1988 between 13,000 and 26,000 individuals were infected with HIV and that between 750 and 3,750 had been infected through sexual intercourse between men and women. Up to the end of March 1992, 1,769 cases of HIV infection acquired through heterosexual intercourse had been reported to the communicable disease surveillance centre. This underestimates the true level of infection as only those who recognise themselves to be at risk will seek a test. The Day report did not make predictions for individual years for HIV infected persons.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of those affected by the HIV/AIDS virus over the past five years have been known to be (a) homosexual and (b) heterosexual, excluding drug users and those suffering from contaminated blood.

By the end of March 1992 there had been a cumulative total of 15,501 newly diagnosed HIV-1 infected persons in England, Wales and Northern Ireland reported to the communicable disease surveillance centre (all exposure categories combined) since the HIV test became available in 1984. This number may considerably underestimate the total number infected in certain exposure categories because in order to have their infection diagnosed infected persons must recognise their risk, present for an HIV-1 test and agree to have a test after pre-test counselling. A detailed breakdown is contained in the following table 12 from the AIDS/HIV Quarterly Surveillance Tables (No. 15, Data to end of March 1992).