Dear Robert,

Thank you for your letter of 30 November (Ref; RK/SJA/Cons/NT/AA) to Hilary Bonn, enclosing a sample postcard from your constituents about the 'Eye on Tony Blair' Campaign. I am replying as the Minister responsible for the issues raised.

I agree with your constituents that proper treatment and care for people with AIDS needs to be available, accessible and affordable worldwide. This is essential to tackle HIV and AIDS, improve people's lives and protect the significant development gains of the last 20 years. Given its importance, the UK made AIDS a centrepiece of the 2005 G8 and EU Presidencies, emphasising the importance of securing "more and better aid" for AIDS, securing commitments to scale up towards universal access to AIDS treatment, and to maintain momentum on HIV prevention.

G8 leaders agreed that they would work to finance the fight against AIDS, including through the replenishment this year of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (Global Fund) The UK hosted the Global Fund's third and final replenishment conference in September and donors pledged US$ 3.7 billion for the two-year period 2006 - 2007. At the Conference, the UK doubled its funding to the Global Fund, to £200 million for 2006/2007. Our contribution amounted to some 10% of the total pledged. Overall the UK has now pledged £359m (US$ 640m) to the Global Fund over 7 years (2002 - 2008).

This is a significant achievement which has enabled all existing Global Fund projects to continue, and will provide funding for a small number of new projects. A follow-up Conference will be held in June 2006 to secure additional pledges. Since the London Replenishment Conference for the Global Fund, the UK has called on other partners, including the private sector, to make greater contributions. This is crucial if the Global Fund is to widen its funding base and achieve the longer term sustainability it needs.

At the same time as pushing for more resources to tackle AIDS, the UK has also been working to ensure that all the resources available are used in the most effective way. That is why we are pressing donors to give their funding in ways which support the efforts and priorities of governments, business, civil society and communities in the worst affected countries to overcome this epidemic. It is also why we have strongly supported the Three Ones' (one strategy, one co-ordinating body, one monitoring process) to achieve this. In March this year we convened a meeting called "Making the Money Work" to take action on the Three Ones and this established a Global Task Team (GTT) on improving AIDS coordination among multilateral development agencies. The recommendations should make a real impact on the ways AIDS finance is used by countries to reach people

Your constituents raised the issue of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) restrictions. It is very rare for the IMF to place particular conditions on spending in one particular sector, like health. However the IMF and World Bank have agreed to support governments to ensure their national budgets prioritise AIDS plans, and will report on progress in June 2006.

The UK is working with country partners and the international community to support countries to scale up their AIDS programmes, and to improve broader health, education and social welfare. The UK has agreed to co-chair with UNAIDS the Global Steering Committee to scaling up towards Universal Access (GSC). This is designed to get as close as possible to universal access to AIDS treatment by 2010.

One issue the GSC will consider is whether World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules impede access to essential medicines in countries affected by AIDS. The WTO Trade Related Intellectual Property (TRIPS) Rights agreement regulates the protection of intellectual property in all countries that have implemented it. As of this year, all WTO member countries - developed and developing, with the exception of least developed countries (LDCs) - have to fully implement TRIPS. LDCs have until 2016 on TRIPS and health. TRIPS has a number of 'flexibilities' which allow countries to access cheap copies of patented medicines where necessary, for instance where they decide the price of the patented product is too expensive. One of these flexibilities is contained in an agreement reached in 2003, often referred to as the 30 August 2003 Decision, allowing developing countries with no pharmaceutical industry to import cheap copies of medicines from other countries (in line with the provisions of the agreement).

This historic agreement should help to support access to medicine in developing countries by strengthening the position of governments as they negotiate with the producers of patented medicines, or enabling them to source generics from elsewhere. Countries now need to change their domestic legislation to bring it in line with the Decision, so they can act as exporters or importers. The EU has just agreed a European-wide regulation that means companies in Europe could now produce medicines for export (in line with the provisions of the agreement). The WTO has also now made the necessary final changes to the TRIPS agreement to ensure the 30 August 2003 Decision is a permanent part of TRIPS.

It is important that developing countries are given the support they need to be able to use the Decision, and that the impact of TRIPS and the Decision itself, are monitored to understand their impact on access to medicines. DFID has been funding several programmes to increase capacity to use TRIPS, including funding, legal research on implementation, a TRIPS Resource Book and we are now exploring - in partnership with international organisations - provision of on-the-ground technical assistance to developing countries to help them make the most of TRIPS. We will continue to take this work forward.

I hope this is helpful.

Yours sincerely,

Gareth Thomas