Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to provide funding to develop small-batch GMP phage manufacturing in the UK.

The Government supports the vibrant life sciences sector, which contributes £108 billion to the economy and 300,000 jobs nationwide. A new Life Sciences Sector Plan, part of the upcoming Industrial Strategy, is due to be published in late Spring. This will set out a comprehensive plan of how the Government intends to drive growth in the sector. Domestic manufacturing is of critical importance and to support this part of the sector, the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund will allocate up to £520 million to deliver economic growth and build health resilience. Funding is available UK-wide, with GMP batch phage manufacturing projects being eligible.