9. To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the links between education on sexual health for women in developing countries and the economic performance of the country concerned. (158525)

Little research has been commissioned or evaluated on the link between education on sexual health for women and overall economic performance.

It is known and accepted that there is a strong link between education for women and overall economic performance in a country. It is also generally assumed that education on sexual health for women leads to better health outcomes. We are funding an evaluation of an adolescent sexual health intervention in Tanzania which will provide important new knowledge on how best to deliver education on sexual health to achieve better health.