Covid-19: Impact of No-deal Brexit on Vaccine Supplies Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
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Covid-19: Impact of No-deal Brexit on Vaccine Supplies
Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton Excerpts(4 years ago)
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Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Con)
My Lords, as we have just heard, and if press reports are to be believed, Royal Air Force planes are on standby to transport the Covid vaccine in the event of no deal—a perfectly reasonable thing to do under the military aid to the civil authorities rules. However, the rules are very clear that military assets can be used only if all commercial alternatives have been exhausted, so I seek reassurance from my noble friend that those commercial alternatives will be used first.
Lord Callanan (Con)
I welcome my noble friend to these Benches. He has acknowledged expertise in this area and, of course, he is quite right: commercial options will be used first, second and third, and the military only as a very last resort.