Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the scale-up of covid-19 vaccine manufacturing capacity in Low and Middle Income countries.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to rapid, equitable access to safe and effective vaccines. The UK has committed £548 million to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC), which is an international initiative whose volume guarantees encourage manufacturing capacity to be scaled up to produce and deliver vaccines at the scale needed to support global equitable access to vaccines.
The FCDO is working closely with key development partners in vaccines, such as the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), along with development finance institutions, regional institutions, and the private sector to catalyse investments into vaccine manufacturing in low- and middle-income countries.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the Government's plan is for redistributing covid-19 vaccine doses to other countries; and what the timescale is for that redistribution.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Ending the COVID-19 pandemic requires a global solution, which is why the UK is leading efforts for global equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. This includes a £548 million contribution to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment to ensure that 92 low and middle income countries are able to access COVID-19 vaccines.
It is too early to determine if the UK will have excess vaccine supply. We continue to work with our international partners to drive the global response and save lives.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the effect on global equality of access to the covid-19 vaccines in the event that the proposed WTO TRIPS Waiver is not adopted.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to rapid equitable access to safe and effective vaccines, and is playing a leading role in financing the global effort, and identifying solutions that ensure affordable access for all.
The UK Government does not consider waiving intellectual property (IP) rights to be an appropriate course of action in boosting the manufacturing of safe, effective, and quality vaccines. The existing intellectual property framework has mobilised research and development to deliver a host of new medicines and technologies to detect, treat, and defend against COVID-19. The incentives and access mechanisms provided by the IP framework have been integral to this success, without which we would not have seen the impressive surge of research and development, and the unprecedented scaling up of production.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if the Government will take steps to use its Presidency of the G7 to propose support for (a) the WHO COVID-19 Technology Access Pool and (b) increasing Official Development Assistance funding to scale-up vaccine manufacturing capacity in low and middle income countries.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK will champion rapid equitable access to safe and effective vaccines throughout our G7 Presidency.
Since the World Health Organisation (WHO) provided initial details on the COVID-19 technology access pool (C-TAP) in October, the UK has led the way in bringing industry and the research community to the table. During our G7 presidency, we will continue this work with stakeholders and the WHO as it establishes the governance structures and refines the operating model for C-TAP.
The FCDO is working closely with key development partners in vaccines, such as the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccines Alliance, WHO and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), along with development finance institutions and the private sector to catalyse investments for vaccine manufacturing in Africa.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his US counterparts on the reported death of Joe Dixon as a result of a drone strike in Syria.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is aware of media reports that Sally Jones and her son, Joe Dixon, were killed in a drone strike in Syria in June. The FCO does not comment on security matters.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will confirm whether Sally Jones and Joe Dixon were killed in a drone strike; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is aware of media reports that Sally Jones and her son, Joe Dixon, were killed in a drone strike in Syria in June. The FCO does not comment on security matters.