To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which countries will receive aid from his Department under the Advanced Market Commitment programme; and what role his Department will have in determining the pattern of distribution of vaccines delivered under the programme. (213206)

The pilot Advance Market Commitment (AMC) will be implemented by the GAVI Alliance (formerly the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations) and the World Bank. The Department for International Development (DFID) envisages that all countries that are eligible for support from GAVI will also be eligible for support from the AMC. GAVI's eligibility policy is determined by the GAVI Board, of which the UK is a member.

Presently, countries with gross national income of under $1,000 per capita are eligible for GAVI support and 72 developing countries currently meet this criterion. Eligible developing countries will decide whether they wish to apply to GAVI for support to introduce the new vaccines into their national immunisation programmes.