Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will take steps to ensure that the 100 million covid-19 vaccines donated overseas will (a) have a shelf life of at least six months and (b) be supplied with all necessary parts, including syringes.

Decisions on donations are driven by the availability of vaccines from domestic supply. Once the Health Secretary is confident vaccines are available to donate, the Foreign Secretary prioritises how they are shared. The UK supply chain is carefully managed to ensure that vaccine doses are used and have impact as quickly as possible, either in the UK or beyond.

For all bilateral donations we have sought assurances that recipients have the capacity to roll-out the quantity of doses in line with the national vaccination programmes ahead of their expiry date. For donations through COVAX, the UK is working closely with COVAX and its international partners such as UNICEF to allocate vaccines according to need, facilitate the rapid delivery of doses and maximise the shelf life available to recipients. This includes the provision of regular forecasts to COVAX to assist planning. Vaccines delivered by COVAX are distributed in line with the World Health Organisation's 'equitable allocation framework', which helps ensure COVAX doses reach those countries most in need. The UK has worked closely with COVAX on its recently published investment opportunity, including its financing assessments for the purchase and distribution of ancillary vaccination equipment.