Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) prepare for, and (2) administer, a comprehensive national COVID-19 vaccine programme.

The Government has established a Vaccines Taskforce to coordinate and accelerate work across Government, academia and industry to develop, manufacture and deliver a COVID-19 vaccine.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is an independent Departmental Expert Committee and a statutory body, which advises the United Kingdom health departments on immunisation for the prevention of infections and or disease. We are seeking advice from the JCVI on priority groups for vaccination, and on options for the introduction of any licensed COVID-19 vaccine in the UK.

We are working with partners internationally and in the UK, including Public Health England and NHS England and NHS Improvement, to develop and implement plans for the procurement and delivery of a safe and effective vaccine as quickly and effectively as possible to those who need it across the UK.