Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to prepare for next winter's influenza season; and if he will make a statement.
The scope of the seasonal flu vaccination programme each season is based on independent expert advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The Department is working with the JCVI to determine the eligibility for the vaccine in the 2022/23 season. We will also work with the UK Health Security Agency, which monitors the prevalence of the flu virus prior to and during the flu season. Local providers are responsible for ordering the appropriate quantity of vaccine required.