Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of her Department's spending on improving global vaccination rates in each year for which data is available.

Vaccination represents one of the most cost-effective health interventions. The UK is a global leader in ensuring children across the world benefit from the life-saving power of one of humankind’s greatest achievements. For every US$1 spent on immunisation in the world’s lowest-income countries, there is an estimated saving of US$16; from reduced health care costs for the individual and from the resulting increase in that individual’s contribution to the economy and to society.

Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) vaccination rates are a key indicator of immunisation performance. Through UK support to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, DPT vaccination rates in the world’s poorest countries have now increased from 66% in 2000 to 80% in 2017. These efforts have helped vaccinate over 700 million children, saving over 10 million lives against vaccine-preventable diseases. The UK will not rest on its laurels. The UK will host the Gavi replenishment conference in 2020 where we will lead efforts to drive even greater vaccination coverage; including for children in the most fragile, hardest to reach countries.