Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications the sale of the Vaccines Manufacturing And Innovation Centre (VMIC) near Oxford for the UK’s long-term investment in vaccine manufacturing; and how the disposal of the VMIC will contribute to the preparedness of the UK for future pandemics, particularly in view of the experiences of COVID-19 pandemic.

The decision to sell the Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre was made by VMIC UK Ltd.’s Board of Directors, with the facility being subsequently sold to Catalent. Once completed, it is intended that the facility will be capable of producing a range of therapeutics and vaccines.

Officials regularly engage with industry stakeholders to understand the wider landscape and implications for vaccine development and manufacturing in the United Kingdom and will continue to do so. Officials are also working across Government to review lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for future health emergencies.