Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2021 to Question 86579 on Chickenpox: Vaccination, what data his Department holds on the number of modellers available to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI); what plans he has to increase the JCVI’s routine immunisations modelling capacity; and if he will make a statement.

Data on the number of modellers is not held. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation formulates advice and recommendations based on appraisal of the best scientific and other evidence available and has no specific allocated modelling resource. Modelling is commissioned from a range of resources as and when required.

There are no plans to increase the routine immunisations modelling capacity at present. Modellers from academic institutions, public bodies and the Government have been focused on supporting efforts against COVID-19 through the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies.