Coronavirus: Northern Ireland

(asked on 16th November 2020) - View Source

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what additional support his Department is providing to assist the Northern Ireland Executive in acquiring covid-19 vaccines.


Answered by
Robin Walker Portrait
Robin Walker
This question was answered on 19th November 2020

The UK Government is working with several potential vaccine suppliers with the ambition to roll out an immunisation programme on a UK-wide basis as soon as regulatory approval is granted. We have secured early access to over 350 million vaccine doses through a portfolio of promising new vaccines to ensure we are in the best place, and we are taking every possible step to ensure we can move as quickly as possible to deploy a vaccine if and when one is found to work.

We have invested over £140m into manufacturing any successful vaccine and an enormous amount of planning and preparation has taken place across Government to be able to quickly roll out the vaccine, including ensuring we have adequate provision, transport, PPE and logistical expertise to do so.

Once any vaccine is approved, the Government will distribute these equitably amongst the four nations, for the Devolved Administrations to then administer roll out to the public.

The UK Government has been in constant communication with the NI Executive over the progress on the acquisition, and potential approval, of any vaccine to assist in planning and preparation for their roll out. The UK Government stands ready to assist the Devolved Administrations concerning a vaccine roll out.


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