Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the current shingles vaccination schedule is for 70 to 79 year olds; and if he will make a statement.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended that shingles vaccine should be offered to all those aged 70 – 79 years. The vaccine is being routinely offered to all those aged 70 years and to all those aged 71 to 79 years through a progressive catch-up.

In the first year of the programme, 2013/14, shingles vaccination was offered to patients aged 70 and 79 years old. For 2014/15, we are offering vaccination to patients aged 70, 78 and 79 years old and, for 2015/16, we will offer the vaccine to patients aged 70 and 78 years old.

We are committed to delivering the JCVI’s recommendation in full. Eligibility criteria for immunisation in each year of the programme are informed by the volumes of vaccine that have been contracted and scheduled for delivery in that particular year.