I'd like to thank Plaid Cymru for tabling this debate for this afternoon and for the contributions that we've heard so far today. I do have some sympathy with the position that they have taken. And, after all, as Jane Dodds mentioned, none of us is safe until all of us are safe. However, the approach they've put forward is a little too simplistic, a little too naive and a little bit rich given that, a few weeks ago, Plaid were advocating vaccinating all children in spite of the World Health Organization recommending against it. 

Regardless, the vaccine programme is an unparalleled success. We went from zero doses a little over a year ago to being on course for 12 billion doses of vaccine by the end of the year, and 24 billion doses by the middle of next year. In just a few months, the supply of vaccines will far outstrip demand, because the UK took a gamble and ordered vaccines before we knew they would work. We are ahead of the curve in our vaccination programmes. We are vaccinating our population at pace, yet we are still providing vaccines to the rest of the world.

The UK is one of the biggest contributors to the COVAX scheme. COVAX is operated by the global alliance on vaccines and immunisation, or Gavi for short. And the UK is one of Gavi's six original donors and one of only two donor countries that support Gavi through all four funding channels. Our nation has provided nearly £2.2 billion to the scheme. As our amendment notes, we used our G7 presidency to push for equitable access to vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics, and secured the commitment from AstraZeneca to distribute its vaccine on a non-profit basis. Other pharma and biotech companies are following suit. Moderna has agreed to donate 0.5 billion doses of its COVID vaccine to COVAX. Just yesterday, Pfizer agreed to licence the antivirals it has developed royalty free to poor nations. These pharma and biotech companies have invested billions in developing these drugs, yet are giving them away freely because they understand their moral obligation to help humanity in its hour of need.

Those clamouring for them to waive their intellectual property rights are naive. The biotech developed and used in many of the vaccines and therapeutics was not developed for COVID, but was adapted to fight COVID. And, once the pandemic is over, it'll be used to develop other life-saving vaccines and drugs. Why would a company give away tech it developed at great cost, particularly when it is unnecessary? The pharma and biotech sector have massively scaled up efforts to fight COVID and will soon produce enough vaccines to protect every person on planet Earth many times over.

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, working hand in hand with similar bodies around the globe, have adopted a five-point plan to ensure manufacturers, governments and non-governmental organisations work together to take urgent steps to address vaccine inequity. They have focused on stepping up responsible dose sharing and maximising production without compromising quality or safety. This is the best way to ensure that we are all protected from the COVID-19 virus, and I urge Members to support our amendment. Thank you very much.