Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans his Department has made to support (a) effective refrigeration capacity and (b) refrigerated transport to enable other countries to operate effective vaccine programmes against covid-19.

The UK is committed to supporting rapid and equitable access to safe and effective vaccines. A multilateral response is needed to deliver effective vaccines at the speed and global scale needed to end the pandemic. FCDO is working with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, UNICEF, and the World Health Organisation to ensure that countries have support to plan and prepare for vaccine introduction, including potential refrigeration needs for supply chains. These will be dependent on the characteristics of any successful COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The UK is leading international efforts to mobilise funding to support vaccine procurement and delivery for low and middle-income countries, including through a commitment of £48 million to the Gavi-managed COVAX Advanced Market Commitment (AMC).