Vaccinations

Debate between Lord Framlingham and Lord Kamall

Wednesday 15th June 2022 Lords Chamber

[Lord Framlingham (Con)]

My Lords, there is wide- spread and growing concern that vaccinations against Covid-19 may be having a damaging effect on our natural immunity, leading to an increase in diseases such as shingles. Is the Minister aware of this? If he is not, perhaps he ought to make himself so. Could we have a government comment on this?

[Lord Kamall (Con)]

I am afraid I am not aware of the details to which my noble friend refers, but I would be happy if he wrote to me. I will then take that back to my department.

Vaccination: Condition of Deployment

Debate between Lord Framlingham and Lord Kamall

Thursday 3rd February 2022 Lords Chamber

[Lord Kamall (Con)]

The noble Baroness raises an important point. I am afraid I do not have detailed answers on patients’ concerns about unvaccinated staff. The main reason for revoking VCOD is that the levels of transmissibility are much lower, with a higher number of people being vaccinated, and cases are less severe. I will have to go back to the department and write to the noble Baroness.

[Lord Framlingham (Con)]

My Lords, given all the scientific information now available, will the Minister accept that there is absolutely no justification whatever for the wholesale vaccination of children?

[Lord Kamall (Con)]

The Government continue to review the data, as other countries do. Clearly, we have vaccinated vulnerable children, and there have been moves, particularly with omicron, to look at vaccinating children. We have reduced the age, but we still need more data. Once we have that data, if it is more appropriate, we will vaccinate children, but we have to make sure we have the data because children respond differently.

Covid-19 Update

Debate between Lord Framlingham and Lord Kamall

Wednesday 10th November 2021 Lords Chamber

[Lord Kamall (Con)]

The noble Baroness makes a very interesting point and an interesting suggestion. I am not quite sure of the details absolutely on those issues—as I said, further guidance will be published. But I promise to write to her, as she so gallantly intimates or hints.

[Lord Framlingham (Con)]

Does the Minister appreciate that quite a lot of people find the idea of compulsory vaccination absolutely intolerable, for all sorts of reasons, however beneficial it may be? This is a serious move for the whole country. Yesterday, in the House of Commons, I believe that the last Secretary of State said that he would not mind the same conditions being applied to flu. Just where does this end?

[Lord Kamall (Con)]

I thank my noble friend for the question. As noble Lords will know, I see myself as a bit of a civil libertarian. Personally, I have asked a number of questions internally about the whole issue of compulsion. It is a very difficult issue, but I understand the arguments on the other side—that we want patients to feel safe and feel that they are looked after by staff who have been vaccinated. Stakeholder analysis and round-tables came out in favour of compulsion on the Covid vaccine and boosters. When it came to flu, interestingly enough, there was a significant disagreement on the practical timing of the flu vaccine supply and the vast majority of doses being available. We have promised to keep it under review, but that is not mandated at this stage.