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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance and support he has provided to local authorities to support the vaccination of people who are (a) rough sleepers and (b) living in temporary accommodation.

We know that many people experiencing homelessness or rough sleeping struggle to access the health care and support they need. On 8 January, we asked all local authorities to redouble their efforts to ensure that people sleeping rough are safely accommodated, backed by £10 million.

We asked that this opportunity is used to make sure that all people who have been sleeping rough are registered with a GP and factored into local area vaccination plans, in line with 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.

We are encouraging local authorities, working in partnership with local health partners, to consider alternative delivery models for vaccination where mainstream provision is unsuitable.

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