Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to increase take-up of the covid-19 vaccine among people aged between 18 and 24; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of offering incentives to encourage the take-up of that vaccine.

We are keen to ensure all those aged 18 and above take up their offer of vaccination. There has been a major programme of work to drive this by increasing the accessibility of the vaccines in targeted locations in areas of lower vaccine uptake. On the 26th June, NHS England launched the ‘grab a jab’ weekend – with pop up vaccination sites set up in football stadiums, theatres, supermarket car parks and shopping centres, which allowed vaccinations to take place without needing to book in advance. There has also been a targeted communications campaign aimed at outlets which typically attract younger audiences. This has involved cascading messages through channels such as TikTok and Snapchat, as well as partnering with influencers, content creators and large retail corporations to drive up vaccine uptake within this cohort.

The Government continues to evaluate all options available to further boost uptake. The Department is currently assessing the potential merits of incentives, although a final decision has yet to be made.