Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase measles vaccination rates.

The Department, alongside the UK Health Security Agency and NHS England, is committed to the UK Measles and Rubella elimination strategy, and together we work to improve immunisation coverage through a range of initiatives including data-improvement, increasing vaccine access, and information campaigns around eligibility and the benefits of vaccines.

The Department has also supported NHS England to develop programmes focused on improving coverage, including a measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) catch-up campaign throughout winter 2022/23, and more recently, a National Health Service London catch-up campaign for both polio and MMR for children aged between one and 11 years old.

It is vitally important that everyone takes up the vaccinations to which they are entitled; for themselves, their families, and wider society. Anyone unsure about their eligibility or vaccination status should contact their general practitioner for advice.