Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Prime Minister's oral contribution of 30 November 2022, Official Report, column 896, what the evidential basis was for his statement that the UK had had the fastest vaccine roll-out in the world because of its freedoms after leaving the European Union.

All European Union member states pursued a joint vaccine procurement, which was slower to obtain supplies of vaccine than the approach pursued by the United Kingdom Government. Because the UK approach differed from that taken by the EU the UK was the first country in the world to authorise and deploy the Pfizer and Oxford / AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines. The UK was also the first major European economy and first G20 member to vaccinate 50% of its population with at least one dose, and to provide boosters to 50% of the population.