14. To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps his Department has taken to advance the Government’s strategy for (a) halting and (b) reversing the spread of HIV and AIDS in middle-income countries. (303278)

The Department for International Development (DFID) works with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in these countries, helping to ensure policies address inequality and challenge stigma and discrimination. Marginalised groups are often most affected.

The long-term costs of treatment place a huge burden on these countries. DFID and partners are helping to reduce prices and for the first time a second-line regimen is available for under $500 annually.