Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government who is responsible for leading the COVID-19 enhanced protection programme (EPP); and what is the process for (1) charities, and (2) patient organisations, to be designated as stakeholders for the programme.

We regularly engage with charities and patient organisation representing and supporting immunocompromised and immunosuppressed people. Further to discussions with these groups, we are establishing an engagement forum for charities and patient organisations to discuss issues relating to the enhanced protection programme and to seek the views of these stakeholders in advance of any updates to guidance. We will continue to update these stakeholders on the enhanced protection programme through webinars, meetings and correspondence.

The enhanced protection programme is a tripartite scheme administered by the Department, NHS England and NHS Improvement and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Dame Jenny Harries, the Chief Executive of the UKHSA, is the senior responsible owner for the

programme. There is no formal process for designating patient organisations as stakeholders for the programme.