Oral Answers to Questions

Richard Bacon Excerpts

Wednesday 29th April 2020 Commons Chamber

[Sarah Champion (Rotherham) (Lab)]

What assessment she has made of the effect of the covid-19 pandemic on the (a) delivery and (b) effectiveness of UK aid programmes and projects.

[Mr Richard Bacon (South Norfolk) (Con)]

What steps she is taking to ensure the effectiveness of international development assistance during the covid-19 pandemic.

[Wendy Chamberlain (North East Fife) (LD)]

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of funding made available by her Department to tackle the covid-19 pandemic overseas.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Unfortunately, we have no sound, so we will go over to Richard Bacon.

[Mr Bacon [V]]

I welcome the Secretary of State’s Gavi announcement. Does she agree that the long-term outlook for DFID’s joint funding of vaccine research projects—with, for example, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation—will be more secure with a separate international aid department than if DFID were merged into the Foreign Office?

[Anne-Marie Trevelyan]

Our response to covid-19, including on vaccines, treatments and testing, is a great example of joint working between DFID and the FCO, as well as with Department of Health and Social Care and Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy experts. We are able to combine our world-class diplomatic network with DFID’s global leadership on development. We are proud of the UK’s close partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, including on the Wellcome therapeutics accelerator initiative, to which we committed up to £40 million with the aim of bringing 100 million courses of covid-19 treatment to those who will need it the most in 2020.