Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the winter flu vaccination will be ready for (a) elderly and vulnerable people who qualify for their vaccination and (b) all people aged over 50 (i) nationally and (ii) in York.

General practitioners and pharmacists are directly responsible for ordering flu vaccine from suppliers which are used to deliver the national flu programme to adults. Flu vaccination deliveries for those who are in at risk groups will start to be available in September and will continue in all areas in England throughout the winter months.

We aim to further extend the flu vaccine programme in November and December to include the 50-64 year old age group. This extension is being phased so we can prioritise those in at risk groups first.