Covid-19 Update

Tonia Antoniazzi Excerpts

Monday 17th May 2021 Commons Chamber

[Matt Hancock]

My hon. Friend makes an incredibly important point that we cannot stress enough. We all, especially developed countries, have a role to play in making sure that we get the vaccines around the world. The UK approach is focused on outcomes and on getting as many people as possible vaccinated globally. The best way to do that is to allow the work that we have done here—the research and the proving of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine—to be replicated and manufactured everywhere at cost. That is a better approach because it protects future intellectual property values and allows for the research money to go into new vaccines and variant vaccines. It does not undermine the system of intellectual property, which is the underpinning concept of all pharmaceutical development, yet at the same time it makes sure that we get people vaccinated around the world. This country should be incredibly proud that we have helped vaccinate over 400 million people, with many hundreds of millions more to come.

[Tonia Antoniazzi (Gower) (Lab)]

On Saturday, my friends and I put on our trainers and walked 26 miles in Gower to raise a bucketload of cash for the fantastic breast cancer charity Walk the Walk. As chair of the all-party parliamentary group on cancer, I know only too well the devastating impact that the pandemic has had on cancer services. One of the key ways in which the Secretary of State can help with the Government’s goals to recover from the pandemic is by ensuring that we have enough well-trained and motivated NHS staff now and into the future. What discussions has he had with the Treasury to ensure a comprehensive, multi-year funding settlement for the NHS in the autumn spending review? Will he meet me and Macmillan Cancer Support to discuss this urgent matter?

[Matt Hancock]

I am always very happy to meet the hon. Lady, who works incredibly hard on this topic. I am delighted to say that the recovery of cancer services is going well and that in many of the centres, the rate of diagnosis, testing and surgery is above 100% of 2019 levels. That is very important. Of course, we are working towards the spending review. The NHS has a long-term baseline settlement, but on top of that we are putting extra money into the recovery that she rightly champions. I would be delighted to talk to her more about it.