Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of changing NHS guidance to allow people aged between 65 and 70 on 1 September 2023 to have the shingles vaccination.

The Government’s policy on groups eligible for vaccination programmes is based on the recommendations of the independent expert body, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and the scope and speed of any rollout is decided between UKHSA, the Department and the National Health Service.

There are no plans to review the age criteria for the shingles vaccine roll out. The current policy is aligned with the expert advice of the JCVI and has enabled the shingles programme to offer a more effective vaccine to more people. As part of the changes the offer has increased to include more of those who are most vulnerable, including anyone who turned 65 before 1 September 2023.