Oral Answers to Questions

Mary Robinson Excerpts

Tuesday 21st July 2020 Commons Chamber

[Simon Fell (Barrow and Furness) (Con)]

What steps his Department is taking to support (a) vaccine manufacturing and (b) UK life sciences.

[Mary Robinson (Cheadle) (Con)]

What steps his Department is taking to support (a) vaccine manufacturing and (b) UK life sciences.

[The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Alok Sharma)]

The Government are investing £93 million to set up the UK’s first dedicated Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre in Harwell. We are also investing £38 million in a rapid deployment facility, which will allow vaccine manufacturing at scale to commence from later this year.

[Alok Sharma]

I want to confirm that the Government of course continue to consider the options to ensure that we have sufficient vaccine manufacturing capacity in the UK. I will ask the vaccine taskforce to follow up on that issue with my hon. Friend.

[Mary Robinson]

For many of my constituents who work in Greater Manchester life sciences and in the Cheshire life sciences corridor, the Government’s drive to increase research and development into vaccines is really important. Recognising the importance of this to our local economy, what are the Government doing to increase and develop the strengths of life sciences in the Greater Manchester area?

[Alok Sharma]

I can confirm to my hon. Friend that, of course, the Government strongly support the growth of the life sciences sector in the north-west, which employs about 26,000 people. We have made a significant strategic investment in the Medicines Discovery Catapult at Alderley Edge to boost R&D.