Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether it is the Government's policy to support calls for research projects funded through the COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator to be subject to mandatory inclusion into the World Health Organisation COVID-19 Intellectual Property Pool.

The UK has welcomed the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator since its launch on 24 April 2020. We look forward to further engagement with this collaborative arrangement and continue to support the work done under the ACT Accelerator to develop new vaccines, treatments and tests, and to accelerate global access?to these essential health technologies for?everyone. We are engaging with our international partners on the best ways to support equitable and affordable access to new innovations, and the UK is committed to collaborating with public and private partners in the UK and internationally. This includes exploring voluntary arrangements and approaches such as non-exclusive voluntary licensing, which promote affordable access for all while also providing incentives to create new inventions. We believe that a voluntary approach to intellectual property has advantages over mandatory approaches, and creates a sounder basis for long-lasting, beneficial relationships, and incentives to create new innovations.