Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of vaccines in keeping people healthy and in work, what steps they will take to support the development and deployment of new and innovative vaccines, and what steps they will take to increase vaccine take up.

The United Kingdom has one of the most extensive immunisation programmes in the world, with high vaccine confidence and uptake rates. The UK’s immunisation programme is acknowledged to be world leading in its ability to innovate and achieve value for money, and plays an important role in the Government’s focus on preventing people from getting ill.

The independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advises the Department on the approach to vaccination and immunisation. The Department does not currently ask the JCVI to complete an assessment of the wider productivity and economic benefits of an immunisation programme, but rather focuses on the range of health benefits that arise from vaccination, including the prevention of hospitalisation and death.

The JCVI has a horizon scanning subcommittee, which reviews evidence from industry to understand new products under development, and to identify evidence gaps early, ensuring that they have the right information to assess those products in a timely manner once they reach the right phase of the approvals process. The Department is working with NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency to increase vaccine uptake, reduce inequalities, and ensure maximum population protection from preventable diseases. The NHS Vaccination Strategy sets out how the National Health Service and partners are aiming to maximise uptake and coverage of vaccinations across all communities.