Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov held a video conference to review progress in the implementation of national projects Healthcare, Education and Affordable and Comfortable Housing in the first half of 2010.

Speaking about the health project, Mr Zhukov said that over the first five months of this year, 711,021 children were born. "This is an increase of 11,000, or 1.6%, over the same period last year," he said. "The number of deaths dropped by about 18,000, or 2.1%," he said and added that "improvements on death rates were registered in almost every type of disease."

"Overall, the rate of population decline in the first five months of this year decreased by 18.2% compared with last year," said the deputy prime minister.

Mr Zhukov admitted, however, that the number of cancer-related deaths was still on the rise, despite a nation-wide programme launched by the government in 2009 to improve the prevention and treatment of oncological diseases.

During the conference, Mr Zhukov expressed his support for a request from the Ministry of Health and Social Development on additional funds being allocated from the federal budget for high-tech medical aid to the public as part of the government's healthcare project.

Citing figures on the project to provide the country's population with affordable housing, Mr Zhukov reported that as many as 21.5 million square meters of floor space had been commissioned across Russia in the first half of the year. "This is about as much as in the same period last year," he said and explained that "the delays we had in the first quarter of the year were dramatically reduced later on."

Identifying some of the outstanding problems in the housing sector, the deputy prime minister said there was still a lack of land plots available for subsidized housing projects. According to him, 21 plots owned by the government occupying a total area of 1,330 hectares, were allotted for this purpose in the first six months of 2010, and 3,000 hectares will be provided before the year's end.

"I would like the regions to interact more proactively on this with the Housing Construction Fund," Mr Zhukov said.

Citing statistics provided by the Bank of Russia, he also reported that 85,000 mortgage loans, totaling more than 105 billion roubles, had been issued in the first five months of this year. "These figures indicate a resurgence of the mortgage system," he said. "The amount of loans issued [over this period] is 136% higher than in the first five months of last year."

During the video conference, Mr Zhukov criticized some of the federal ministries and the governments of several regions for not doing enough to advance national projects. "There are some positive dynamics, but a number of areas are still underfunded and some of the regions do not pay sufficient attention to the projects." Thus, for instance, in January through June 2010, only 27.9% of the funds allocated under the healthcare project were put to good use, he said.

The official also criticized regions that had failed to organize routine medical checkups for orphaned children so far this year.

Speaking of the public education project, Mr Zhukov said there had been delays in financing distance learning programmes for children.

Getting back to the housing project, he said that the federally-owned lands provided to regions for subsidized housing construction were not being used as widely as they should be.

In conclusion, Mr Zhukov urged all those in charge to address the specified problems as soon as possible.