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 encourage parents to have their children vaccinated against MMR.

The measles, mumps and rubella immunisation programme is a key priority, being closely linked with the national ‘Measles and rubella elimination UK strategy’. A multi-agency implementation group including the Department, NHS England and NHS Improvement, and Public Health England has been established to take forward the broad range of actions outlined in the strategy in partnership with national and local stakeholders.

Actions already taken include a MMR catch-up vaccination programme for 10 and 11 year olds delivered through primary care, communications campaigns encouraging parents to have their children vaccinated, and local initiatives addressing inequalities in vaccine uptake, including targeting those who previously missed vaccination.