Asked by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to make
COVID-19 vaccinations available to athletes and support staff
from any nation which requires such provision and is sending
competitors (1) to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, or (2)
to any other international sporting competition hosted by the
United Kingdom.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport ( of Whitley Bay) (Con)
My Lords, the UK has safely hosted major sporting events during
the pandemic without mandating vaccination against Covid-19,
supported by the comprehensive body of research undertaken by the
Events Research Programme. For the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth
Games, organisers are very strongly recommending that athletes
and officials get vaccinated. To date, we are not aware of any
Commonwealth Games associations asking for assistance, but we
continue to liaise with the Games associations on this and other
matters.
(LD)
I thank the Minister for that response. Does he not think it
would be a good idea to be proactive and go to some of the
smaller nations which do not have developed vaccination
programmes and say that we will offer vaccination to all their
staff who are coming to this event as a gesture of good will? It
would be an extension of our soft power and surely that is what a
festival of sport, such as the Games, should be.
of Whitley Bay (Con)
My Lords, we are proactively working across the health sector and
with our Games partners to see what additional support may be
required for participants when they are in the UK. We are in
regular discussions with the Commonwealth Games associations and
their chief medical officers regarding the protocols which will
keep everyone safe for the Games. The UK is committed to
equitable access to safe and effective vaccines, treatments and
tests through multilateral co-operation to end the acute phase of
this pandemic.
(Con)
Pursuant to the question from the noble Lord, , will the Government confirm
that they will work with the organising committee and the WHO in
particular to reach out to all 53 Commonwealth countries to
promote vaccination and support the 98% vaccination level which
was achieved at the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing?
of Whitley Bay (Con)
Yes, we are working with Games partners and public health
partners and are learning lessons from recent events such as the
Summer and Winter Olympics to make sure that the message gets
across very loudly and clearly that we are strongly recommending
that everyone be vaccinated.
(LD)
My Lords, given the attention that will be paid to the
Commonwealth Games, is this not a wonderful opportunity for the
Government to promote vaccination, particularly if a fourth round
of vaccination is going to be inevitable, and to promote it by
using some of the young people at the Games to get the message
over, particularly to the young and ethnic minorities, that
vaccination is important?
of Whitley Bay (Con)
We know that vaccinations are very effective at protecting us
from Covid-19 and are our strongest weapon in the fight against
the pandemic. That is a message that is important for people
still at home who have not yet been vaccinated, as well as for
those visiting. The Games are an important opportunity to send
that message.
(Con)
My Lords, what will the residential quarters be like for the
Birmingham Games? Obviously, the right arrangements can help with
appropriate disease control. Cheekily, is there a housing legacy
from what is being done? I declare an interest as the chair of
the Built Environment Committee.
of Whitley Bay (Con)
I will write to my noble friend with the full details of the
housing provision and legacy, but I reassure her that there will
be a robust set of protective protocols in place, including
testing, temperature checks and regular cleaning, which has been
developed in accordance with leading public health experts and
lessons learned from other large-scale events to keep everybody
safe during the Games.
(Con)
My Lords, my noble friend mentioned the ERP. Will he take this
opportunity to congratulate David Ross and Nick Hytner, who so
excellently chaired that group and all who were involved? I
declare an interest: I was honoured to serve as part of the ERP.
Will he congratulate all the staff at DCMS who played such a key
role in enabling spectators to be back at sporting events, fans
to be back in music venues and people to be back in cultural
venues across the country safely and able to enjoy the rich
cultural and sporting fabric of our nation?
of Whitley Bay (Con)
I most whole- heartedly congratulate everybody involved,
including my noble friend, for their work in the Events Research
Programme. They worked very swiftly to develop an evidence base
to make sure that we could get people back to doing all the
things that they missed doing during lockdown and which are so
important to their well-being and mental health and to the wider
economic and societal impacts.
(CB)
My Lords, can the Minister tell the House what arrangements have
been made for feeding the athletes at the Commonwealth Games? At
the last Olympics, Coca-Cola and McDonald’s completely dominated
the food offer because they had paid so much money. That does not
send out a great message on health, especially to our kids.
of Whitley Bay (Con)
I will write to the noble Baroness about the food options for
those attending the Games. Of course, it will be up to people to
choose what they wish to eat and to do so in a healthy and
nutritious manner.
(Lab)
My Lords, the pandemic is not over until it is over everywhere.
In order truly to tackle it, people across the world need access
to vaccines, including in African and Caribbean nations, which
have been deprived of vaccines and of the ability to manufacture
their own vaccines because of intellectual property protections.
If proposals for a vaccine waiver are put to World Trade
Organization members in the coming weeks or months, can the
Minister indicate which way the UK Government will vote?
of Whitley Bay (Con)
My Lords, the UK is one of the largest donors to the COVAX
advance market commitment, which supports access to Covid-19
vaccinations for up to 92 low- and middle-income countries. This
is a very effective mechanism and our £548 million commitment has
helped COVAX deliver more than £1 billion vaccines to low- and
middle-income countries. We have also donated more than 33
million vaccines. We need a truly global effort because no one
country and no one pharmaceutical company would be able to do
this alone.
