Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the (1) process, and (2) timeline, for the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to issue advice for use of newly MHRA-approved vaccines.

Following the authorisation of a vaccine by Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) can consider its use in an immunisation programme, following an official request from the Department or independently with an intent to review a possible improvement to public health.

The timetable for such consideration is dependent on factors including the current burden of disease to the population, whether an effective vaccine is already available and the amount of evidence available at the time. In order to issue evidence-based advice on the use of a particular vaccine, data on disease epidemiology, vaccine safety and efficacy will be required. Additional analysis including modelling or cost-effectiveness may also be necessary. The vaccine will either be discussed in an forthcoming scheduled meeting or in the case of a public health emergency, an extraordinary meeting may be arranged. These meetings may result in new or updated advice being issued by the JCVI and provided to the Government to inform, develop and make policy.