Covid-19 Vaccinations: 12 to 15-year-olds

Tim Loughton Excerpts

Monday 13th September 2021 Commons Chamber

[Nadhim Zahawi]

I am grateful for the hon. Lady’s support for tonight’s decision. The Department for Education is rolling out, I think, 300,000 carbon dioxide monitors. It is very important that ventilation is very much part of what we do as we transition this virus from pandemic to endemic status.

[Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham) (Con)]

May I come back to the issue of parental consent and, in doing so, declare my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests? I welcome the fact that this will be done with parental consent, because all the pressures would be far greater if it were left up to individual children, with all the peer pressure and stigma that that could bring. Will the Minister tell us what the situation will be for children in care? Will the default position be, as corporate parents, that all children in the care system will be vaccinated? What then happens if the birth parent or the long-term foster carer has an objection to that?

[Nadhim Zahawi]

I thank my hon. Friend for his important question. The deemed carer for that child will be requested to give that consent.