Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential contribution of the UK's malaria science sector to preventing, diagnosing and treating malaria; and what steps his Department is taking to support that sector.

The UK's malaria science sector has made significant contributions to the development of antimalarial drugs, vaccines and diagnostic tools. We continue to support the sector through our research and development investments. This includes support to the Liverpool-based Innovative Vector Control Consortium to develop novel bed-nets and to Oxford university to develop a new generation of antimalarial medicines to tackle the threat posed by emerging drug resistance. In collaboration with UK Research and Innovation we have also funded a study led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to evaluate the role of malaria vaccines when deployed in combination with seasonal administration of antimalarials.