Written question asked by John Bercow (Conservative) on Thursday, 17 June 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 24 June 2004. It was answered by Gareth Thomas (Labour) on Thursday, 24 June 2004 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Dept for International Development

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what account has been taken by (a) his Department and (b) the European Union of Article 15 (4) of the 1993 Constitution of the Russian Federation in support for harm reduction programmes in the federation.

Answer: Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what account has been taken by (a) his Department and (b) the European Union of Article 15 (4) of the 1993 Constitution of the Russian Federation in support for harm reduction programmes in the federation. [179938] Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID has taken account of the prevailing view among Russian and international jurists that, on the whole, the Russian Federation has properly fulfilled its international legal duties under relevant international law relevant to harm reduction, including the United Nations Narcotics Conventions. The EU is supporting HIV/AIDS projects in Russia, including information, education and communication campaigns and training for health personnel, but is not supporting the provision of targeted harm reduction services for vulnerable groups.

Secondary information