Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had with Nick O'Donohoe, CEO of the CDC, about the role CDC investments can play in ensuring private sector health companies provide free treatment and care to tackle the covid-19 outbreak.

The Secretary of State and members of her Ministerial team have had a number of calls with the CDC Chair which have included CDC’s response to COVID-19. The primary line of communication between the Secretary of State and CDC is through the Chair of the board, and DFID Officials engage with CDC Management.

Department Officials are engaging closely with CDC Board and Management on its response to COVID-19. CDC is supporting its existing portfolio, including in the healthcare sector, to safeguard impact and help firms and their workforces weather the crisis. CDC is also looking to make new investments that can provide systemic liquidity to companies, especially Small Medium Enterprises, and at investments that can directly mitigate some of the adverse health impacts of COVID-19 by increasing access to healthcare and equipment. The latest updates on CDC’s response are available on its website (https://www.cdcgroup.com/covid-19).