Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent progress the Government has made on eradicating malaria.

The UK is committed to tackling malaria, which is closely linked to our ambition to end preventable deaths of mothers, babies and new-borns. We are concerned by the impact that COVID-19 has had on efforts against malaria, with last year's World Malaria Report recording the first significant increase in malaria deaths in over two decades - up by 69000 - and an increase in the number of malaria cases by 14 million. The majority of our malaria investments are through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria; the UK remains a strong supporter of the Global Fund, having donated £4.1 billion to date. We are reviewing the Global Fund's investment case for the 7th replenishment and deciding our precise contribution in line with delivering the new International Development Strategy. To work towards ending the epidemic of malaria, we also invest in research to develop new tools to prevent, diagnose and treat malaria and support countries to strengthen their health systems. This has included funding the world's first antimalarial drug for children, which is estimated to have saved over one million lives.