Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he has taken to establish a partnership with Rotary International on the joint goal of eradicating polio.

Thanks to the joint efforts of Rotary International and the UK Government, we have made major strides in defeating the polio virus. The UK Government appreciates the tireless campaigning and generous fundraising achieved by Rotarians on behalf of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), which has vaccinated millions against polio in the world's poorest countries.

Alongside Rotary, the UK Government has also supported GPEI since 1995 as the second largest sovereign donor. Through our joint commitment and strong advocacy, more than 18 million people are able to walk today who would have otherwise been paralysed by the virus. This decades-long partnership between Rotary International and the UK Government has eliminated the wild polio virus from Africa. We will continue our advocacy together, from the global to the grassroots level, until the wild polio virus is eliminated worldwide.