Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date he estimates that (a) all members of the phase one priority group identified by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation will have received the covid-19 vaccine and (b) it will be safe to begin easing covid-19 restrictions.

By 15 February we aim to have offered a first vaccine dose to everyone in the top four priority groups identified by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

As large numbers of people from at risk groups are given an effective vaccine, we will be able to gather the evidence to prove the impact on infection rates, hospitalisation and reduced deaths. If successful, this should lead to a substantial reassessment of current restrictions.