Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the efficacy of the Valneva covid-19 vaccine; and what steps he is taking to introduce that vaccine for people who cannot take the Pfizer, Astra-Zeneca or Moderna vaccines for ethical reasons.

The supply agreement between the government and Valneva was terminated in September 2021 and therefore this vaccine will not form part of the UK portfolio. Although Valneva have received their Phase III preliminary results and submitted their trial data to the MHRA, the company has not yet gained approval from the regulator.

The UK Government has taken a portfolio approach to vaccine supply for regulated vaccines. The UK has sufficient supply now for the current booster campaign, as well as continuation of the primary vaccination programme.