Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the recent example set by Singapore, what discussions his Department has had on when maritime key workers will be prioritised for covid-19 vaccinations.

The Department has had a number of discussions on the prioritisation of key workers. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are the independent experts who advise the Government on which vaccines the United Kingdom should use and provide advice on prioritisation at a population level. The JCVI’s advice has stated that phase one of the vaccine programme will have the prevention of mortality at the forefront of its objectives, as well as to support the National Health Service and social care system.

Maritime staff who are eligible for a vaccine, based on the JCVI’s prioritisation, will be offered a vaccine in line with clinical advice. Prioritisation decisions for the next phase delivery of the vaccine are subject to information, surveillance and monitoring data from phase one, as well as further advice from independent scientific experts such as the JCVI. Phase two may include further reduction in hospitalisation and targeted vaccination of those at high risk of exposure and/or those delivering key public services.