Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if the Government will take steps to use its Presidency of the G7 to propose support for (a) the WHO COVID-19 Technology Access Pool and (b) increasing Official Development Assistance funding to scale-up vaccine manufacturing capacity in low and middle income countries.

The UK will champion rapid equitable access to safe and effective vaccines throughout our G7 Presidency.

Since the World Health Organisation (WHO) provided initial details on the COVID-19 technology access pool (C-TAP) in October, the UK has led the way in bringing industry and the research community to the table. During our G7 presidency, we will continue this work with stakeholders and the WHO as it establishes the governance structures and refines the operating model for C-TAP.

The FCDO is working closely with key development partners in vaccines, such as the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccines Alliance, WHO and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), along with development finance institutions and the private sector to catalyse investments for vaccine manufacturing in Africa.