Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the consequences for his policies of the impact of Respiratory Syncytial Virus on children under two years of age with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type 1; and if he will make it his policy to expand the Palivizumab (Synagi) Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) prophylaxis administration to all such children.

The impact of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and other respiratory illnesses on children with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is currently being considered by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The JCVI is also in the process of reviewing the existing RSV immunisation programme and potentially expanding this to children not currently offered immunisations, including for children with SMA. The JCVI will publish their conclusions in due course and the Government will then consider this for a potential update to existing policy.