Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the causes of the fall in childhood vaccination coverage rates since 2013–14.

Recent data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and NHS England indicates a decline in coverage for childhood vaccination programmes. The extent of these changes varies depending on the specific vaccination programme and the age group being considered.

Public concerns about the level of preschool vaccination uptake prompted the National Audit Office to investigate the reasons behind the decline. The report identified several structural issues, including fragmented program delivery, difficult access for parents, and inconsistencies in professional communication. The copy of the full report is attached.

The Government is committed to having high uptake in all our vaccination programmes, and has an established independent scientific advisory group, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which is responsible for advising United Kingdom health departments on immunisations for the prevention of infections and/or disease.

The UKHSA has also established a forum bringing together the four UK nations to review factors impacting the decline in uptake, and to identify actions and shared learning to improve access to services and to address other potential barriers.

The UKHSA conducts research to assess public confidence in national vaccination programmes. Annual surveys consistently show that confidence in vaccination remains high.