Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to A review of the Vaccine Taskforce, published by his Department on 29 August 2023, what additional vaccine production capacity, of any type, has been secured as a result of the investments made (a) by the Vaccine Taskforce and (b) subsequently by the Office for Life Sciences, as described in the report.

Through the Vaccine Taskforce, over £405 million was invested in the United Kingdom’s vaccine manufacturing capabilities across several modalities, to ensure a robust response to COVID-19 and future health emergencies. In December 2022 the Government signed a ten-year strategic partnership with Moderna which will have the capacity to produce up to 250 million cutting-edge mRNA vaccines per year onshore in the event of a pandemic. In May this year, the Government announced a Biomanufacturing Fund, worth up to £38 million, to incentivise investment in commercial-scale vaccines and biotherapeutics manufacturing.