Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of expanding the eligibility requirements of the Government’s human papillomavirus vaccination programme to include more adults in the 35-45 age bracket.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) keeps the eligibility criteria of all vaccination programmes under review and considers new evidence as it emerges.

In 2018, a human papillomavirus (HPV) programme targeting men who have sex with men (MSM) aged up to 45 years old who attend sexual health clinics was introduced, after a recommendation from the JCVI as they are a high-risk group for HPV exposure and some related cancers. Clinicians can offer the HPV vaccine to individuals in this age group who have a similar risk profile to the eligible MSM population.