Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell MP
Secretary of State
Department for International Development
1 Palace Street
London
SW1E 5HE

6th July 2011

Dear Andrew,

I have been contacted by a number of constituents about child vaccination. As you know, the recent summit for the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations (GAVI) proved tremendously successful with an announcement that £2.65 billion had been raised to provide the next four years of work on vaccines. However, this only represents the first step. As Save the Children's ‘No child born to die' campaign envisages, we must go further and successfully vaccinate all those children most at need.

GAVI now needs to ensure that an effective international effort is made to help train and recruit frontline nurses, midwives and doctors, without whom vaccinations cannot be correctly administered. Save the Children suggest that at least $600 million is needed in order to sufficiently fund this process.

I am, therefore, calling on the UK government to take a lead in preparing for a special UN meeting on health workers in September 2011. Such action is necessary order to ensure that GAVI's success continues and that more children's lives are saved through vaccination.

I look forward to your response on this matter.

Yours sincerely,

Caroline Lucas, MP, Brighton Pavilion

Read the Minister's reply