To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with his G8 counterparts on the provision of funding for AIDS programmes in developing countries; how much of the funding agreed at Gleneagles in 2005 for this purpose has been provided; and if he will make a statement. (180914)

[holding answer 22 January 2008]: DFID Ministers and senior officials have been holding discussions with G8 colleagues in preparation for the Hokkaido Toyako summit this year. Discussions on health have been wide-ranging, including on HIV and AIDS.

No specific funding commitment was made on AIDS in the communiqué from the Gleneagles G8 summit in 2005; instead the G8 leaders agreed to develop a package for HIV prevention, treatment and care, with the aim of as close as possible to universal access to treatment for all those who need it by 2010. At the Heiligendamm G8 summit of 2007, in the context of scaling up efforts to contribute towards the goal of universal access to comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention programmes, treatment, care and support by 2010 for all, and to developing and strengthening health systems, G8 Heads agreed to provide at least a projected US $60 billion over the coming years, and invited other donors to contribute. The G8 also made substantial commitments in the areas of preventing mother to child transmission, paediatric treatments for AIDS and in the areas of maternal and child health care and voluntary family planning.

Our analysis of data compiled by UNAIDS indicates that G8 countries committed around US $7.5 billion on AIDS over the last two years, 2005 and 2006. This represents 76 per cent. of global commitments to AIDS during the period.