Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans her Department has to make this winter's Covid-19 vaccine available for purchase.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
There are no plans to make the COVID-19 vaccines the Government holds for National Health Service use available for purchase. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), a body of independent experts, advises the Government on who should be offered vaccination through the national programme for COVID-19. Vaccination for COVID-19 through the NHS is free for those eligible and there are no plans to introduce charges.
Current COVID-19 vaccines offer good protection against serious outcomes but only short-lived protection from mild symptomatic disease. The aim therefore is to offer vaccination to those the JCVI advises are at higher risk of hospitalisation and death. This risk is strongly linked to older age and some specified clinical conditions.
All vaccines that have been licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for use in the UK may be prescribed by physicians privately as well as through the NHS. Currently COVID-19 vaccines are not available privately but as is the case for many other vaccines, manufacturers and providers are able to set up a private market alongside the NHS offer when they consider this viable and appropriate. The Government is supportive of the emergence of a private market for COVID-19 vaccines. Supply of vaccines for such a market would be, as with all other vaccines, a matter for the private providers working with manufacturers to obtain through the open market.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many unused covid-19 vaccine doses have been destroyed as of 18 December 2023.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
From December 2020 to 20 December 2023, 732,060 doses have been disposed of by the UK Health Security Agency. Vaccines are disposed of due to product damage or product expiry.
NHS England holds some information in relation to disposal within the NHS England supply chain, equating to 21,000 doses. This data was reported in the NAO report February 2022 and is the last published data, which is available at the following link:
NHS England does not hold the data for disposal of vaccine once the vaccine has been delivered to vaccination sites.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 19 December 2023 (HL858), whether they have reviewed the account by Dame Kate Bingham in The Long Shot of her experience of government and other supervision whilst she was Chair of the UK Vaccine Taskforce; and what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the framework of project supervision in respect of the work of that Taskforce.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made of The Long Shot. The Government published A review of the Vaccine Taskforce on GOV.UK in an online-only format on 29 August 2023. The review draws out learning that can be applied to future Government programmes, both in emergency circumstances, and to business-as-usual activity.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of allowing people that are not currently eligible for covid-19 booster vaccines to (a) purchase them at an affordable price and (b) receive them free of charge if they are eligible for free prescriptions on levels of people returning to work.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), a body of independent experts, advises the Government on who should be offered vaccination through the national programme for COVID-19. Vaccination for COVID-19 through the National Health Service is free for those eligible and there are no plans to introduce charges.
Current COVID-19 vaccines offer good protection against serious outcomes but only short-lived protection from mild symptomatic disease. The aim therefore is to offer vaccination to those the JCVI advises are at higher risk of hospitalisation and death. This risk is strongly linked to older age and some specified clinical conditions.
No recent general assessment has been carried out on the impact of COVID-19 vaccination on absences from work. However, a cost effectiveness assessment has been carried for the groups recommended by the JCVI for autumn 2023 vaccination which includes front line healthcare workers. The analysis for this group explored the potential impact on staff absences due to COVID-19. The available data was insufficient to allow formal conclusions but what data was available suggested that, due to the limited ability of current vaccines to prevent mild illness, vaccination would have only a very modest impact on staff absences. The analysis is published at the following link:
On the advice of the JCVI, NHS eligibility is focussed on those at higher risk of serious outcomes. However, all vaccines that have been licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for use in the United Kingdom may be prescribed by physicians privately as well as through the NHS. Currently COVID-19 vaccines are not available privately but as is the case for many other vaccines, manufacturers and providers are able to set up a private market alongside the NHS offer when they consider this viable and appropriate. The Government is supportive of the emergence of a private market for COVID-19 vaccines and is engaging with relevant parties on this.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of people who received the Oxford-Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine experienced serious adverse events since it was introduced.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Reports of suspected adverse reactions are collected by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) via the Yellow Card scheme. Data received through the scheme is published on the Yellow Card website including COVID-19 vaccine reports. MHRA has received over 350,000 spontaneous suspected adverse reaction reports in the United Kingdom for all COVID-19 vaccines; 192,945 of these suspected adverse reaction reports are for COVID-19 Astra Zeneca specifically, up to and including 29 November 2023.
Reporters are asked to submit Yellow Card reports even if they only have a suspicion that the vaccine may have caused the adverse reaction. The existence of an adverse reaction report does not necessarily mean that the vaccine has caused the reaction. It is not possible to compare the safety of different vaccines by comparing the numbers of reports. Reporting rates can be influenced by many factors including the seriousness of the adverse reactions, their ease of recognition and the extent of use of a particular vaccine. Reporting can also be stimulated by promotion and publicity about a product.
Official vaccination data shows that, as of 11 September 2022, an estimated 24.9 million first doses and 24.2 million second doses of the Oxford-Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine had been administered. Official vaccination data is no longer routinely published for all UK nations, with data for first and second doses no longer reported beyond 11 September 2022 as regional data was no longer available. As of 22 February 2023, 60,900 third or booster doses of the Oxford-Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine had been administered.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in the UK have suffered from serious adverse events from covid-19 vaccines as of 11 December 2023.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Reports of suspected adverse reactions are collected by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) via the Yellow Card scheme. Data received through the scheme is published on the Yellow Card website including COVID-19 vaccine reports. MHRA has received over 350,000 spontaneous suspected adverse reaction reports in the United Kingdom for all COVID-19 vaccines; 192,945 of these suspected adverse reaction reports are for COVID-19 Astra Zeneca specifically, up to and including 29 November 2023.
Reporters are asked to submit Yellow Card reports even if they only have a suspicion that the vaccine may have caused the adverse reaction. The existence of an adverse reaction report does not necessarily mean that the vaccine has caused the reaction. It is not possible to compare the safety of different vaccines by comparing the numbers of reports. Reporting rates can be influenced by many factors including the seriousness of the adverse reactions, their ease of recognition and the extent of use of a particular vaccine. Reporting can also be stimulated by promotion and publicity about a product.
Official vaccination data shows that, as of 11 September 2022, an estimated 24.9 million first doses and 24.2 million second doses of the Oxford-Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine had been administered. Official vaccination data is no longer routinely published for all UK nations, with data for first and second doses no longer reported beyond 11 September 2022 as regional data was no longer available. As of 22 February 2023, 60,900 third or booster doses of the Oxford-Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine had been administered.
Asked by: Lord Mendelsohn (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact to the NHS of the 16.9 per cent uptake rate, as at 29 October, for the autumn COVID-19 booster vaccine by immunocompromised patients; and what steps they will take to increase uptake among that cohort before the vaccination programme is due to end on 15 December.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data published by NHS England reported the number of immunosuppressed individuals aged between five and 64 years old that had received vaccination by 29 October 2023 as 326,143. It is not understood where the 16.9% uptake rate within the question has been derived. The published data shows a total number of individuals who have received autumn vaccination broken down by four cohorts.
We continue to work with NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency to improve immunosuppressed uptake nationally, by understanding drivers of hesitancy, improving the quality of our published data, ensuring it is easy and convenient to book and access vaccinations, and by continuing a variety of campaign activities throughout the winter including the Get Winter Strong campaign. This was launched on 1 November 2023 and encourages those eligible, specifically the clinically most vulnerable, who have not yet come forward for the flu and COVID-19 vaccines to do so.
NHS England has produced and shared a range of targeted communications materials encouraging people who are immunosuppressed to take up their offer of a COVID-19 booster vaccine, including posters, display screen visuals and social media cards. There are also materials to raise awareness that immunosuppressed household contacts are also eligible for vaccination. These assets have been translated into 28 languages to reach people from a wide range of communities through their native languages and have helped general practices, vaccination centres, pharmacies and other sites to promote COVID-19 and flu vaccination this autumn and winter.
The Government’s Chief Medical Officer, Prof Sir Chris Whitty, also wrote to the main charities representing the clinically most vulnerable patient cohorts, to publicise this Autumn’s campaign, and to enable them to signpost the offer to their patient communities.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham (HL391), whether they will now answer the question put, namely, whether they intend to review the processes and systems of supervision and governance in respect of projects commissioned by the Government.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) is the government’s centre of expertise for infrastructure and major projects. The IPA leads the government project delivery function and sits at the heart of government, reporting to the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury. The IPA and HM Treasury have the final decision on which projects and programmes join the Government Major Project Portfolio (GMPP). The IPA is responsible for the tracking and monitoring of GMPP projects. The IPA supports GMPP projects with expert advice and support, intervening early to ensure that projects are set up for success. Overall accountability to Parliament sits with responsible Accounting Officers; this includes supervising their governance processes and monitoring performance to ensure they are sufficient and proportionate. For projects not part of the GMPP, where IPA does not provide independent assurance, it is the responsibility of the Accounting Officer to ensure that a suitable assurance process is in place.
The IPA was established to provide support to priority projects. However, in recent years the IPA has developed a number of tools to support Accounting Officers and senior project leaders across government to set projects up for success. These tools are reviewed periodically to ensure they reflect current best practice.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2023 to Question 395 on Coronavirus: Vaccination, what steps she is taking to implement the advice of the JCVI on the rollout of the autumn 2023 booster programme to people who are immunocompromised.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
As recommended by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the autumn 2023 COVID-19 vaccination programme includes all those aged between six months and 64 years old in a clinical risk group, as defined in tables 3 and 4 of the COVID-19 chapter of the Green Book. This includes those with immunosuppression.
We continue to work with NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to improve immunosuppressed uptake nationally, by understanding drivers of hesitancy, improving the quality of our published data, ensuring it is easy and convenient book and access vaccinations, and by continuing a variety of campaign activities throughout the winter including UKHSA’s ‘get winter strong’ campaign. This was launched on 1 November 2023 and encourages those eligible, specifically the clinically most vulnerable, who have not yet come forward for the flu and COVID-19 vaccines to do so.
NHS England has produced and shared a range of targeted communications materials encouraging people who are immunosuppressed to take up their offer of a COVID-19 booster vaccine, including posters, display screen visuals and social media cards. There are also materials to raise awareness that those who are a household contact of an immunosuppressed person are also eligible for vaccination. These materials have been translated into 28 languages to reach people from a wide range of communities through their native languages and have helped general practices, vaccination centres, pharmacies, and other sites to promote COVID-19 and flu vaccination this autumn/winter.
The Government’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, also wrote to the main charities representing the clinically most vulnerable patient cohorts, to publicise this autumn’s campaign, and to enable them to signpost the offer to their patient communities.
The autumn campaign remains open and all those who are eligible but who have not yet come forward are encouraged to take up their vaccination.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were given the Covishield covid-19 vaccine in the UK.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Covishield is another product name for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, and it was authorised for use in other countries under that name, but not in the United Kingdom. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine approved for use in the UK is Vaxzevria. Some people in the UK will be recorded as have received Covishield, but they would have received the vaccine only in countries where it was authorised.