Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to support the realisation of guaranteed global vaccine access for (a) vulnerable groups and (b) frontline health workers by committing to share a portion of the covid-19 vaccines that the UK Government obtains through advanced purchase agreements with the COVAX Advanced Market Commitment, from the first vaccine shipment.

The UK will deliver on its commitment to global equitable access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines through our commitment to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC). The UK is the largest funder to the COVAX AMC with a commitment of up to £548 million. This will contribute to 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines for 92 developing countries in 2021, and immunisation for up to 500 million people (subject to vaccines successfully securing stringent regulatory approvals).

Ensuring frontline health workers globally have access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines will be a critical part of accelerating an end to the pandemic. The UK supports the role of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) as the lead technical partner in COVAX to provide robust guidance on specific COVID-19 vaccine use strategies to ensure maximum public health and wider impact. This includes the prioritised access to vaccines for health and social care workers and other vulnerable groups.