Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason covid-19 vaccines are only available through the NHS as of 31 January 2024.
The Government is committed to protecting those most at risk from COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. Those eligible receive vaccination for free through the National Health Service. Whether and when a private market for COVID-19 vaccines emerges is a matter for private companies, and the Government has no formal role in this. However, the Government is supportive of the emergence of a private market for COVID-19 vaccines, to increase choice for consumers.