Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will appoint a Government champion to bring about the end of leprosy.

A key aim of the UK’s global health work is to support countries to build and maintain strong health systems, achieve universal health coverage, and to tackle all causes of ill health - working in close partnership with national governments. In September 2019 the UK’s flagship £220 million neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) programme was launched, which will provide treatment and care for NTDs to 200 million people. We have no current plans to appoint government champions on specific NTDs such as leprosy.