Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans the Government has for the vaccination of (a) homeless people and (b) rough sleepers during the rollout of the covid-19 vaccine; and where they are on the vaccine priority list.

MHCLG is working closely with DHSC, Public Health England, and NHS England to ensure the health and care needs of vulnerable people experiencing rough sleeping can be met during the COVID-19 pandemic – including access to the vaccination.

We have asked all local authorities to ensure that rough sleepers are safely accommodated and that this opportunity is used to make sure that all rough sleepers are registered with a GP and factored into local area vaccination plans, in line with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) prioritisation for COVID-19 vaccinations. This will help ensure that the wider health needs of people who sleep rough are addressed, supporting them now and for the future.

The JCVI are the independent experts who provide advice to Government on which vaccine(s) the UK should use, and which groups to prioritise. The JCVI have advised that the first priorities for any COVID-19 vaccination programme should be for the prevention of COVID-19 mortality and the protection of health and social care staff and systems.

Many people sleeping rough will be a priority for the COVID-19 vaccine due to underlying health conditions. Secondary priorities could include vaccination of those at increased risk of hospitalisation and at increased risk of exposure, and to maintain resilience in essential public services.

We continue to work with the homelessness sector, local authorities and health and care partners, to ensure the needs of those experiencing homelessness can be met.