Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what research they have undertaken on the impact of the COVID-19 (1) virus, and (2) vaccines, on the development of embryos in the (a) first, (b) second, and (c) third, trimesters of pregnancy.

The Department, through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has funded various studies into the impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy, through the urgent public health COVID-19 call and the Maternal and Neonatal Health & Care Policy Research Unit. UK Research and Innovation and the NIHR jointly launched the Rapid Response Rolling Call to fund research that aimed to understand, prevent, or manage COVID-19. Two studies were funded that aim to understand the impact of the COVID-19 virus on pregnancy. The NIHR is not currently funding research into the impact of COVID-19 vaccines on the development of embryos but welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health.