Asked by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made on
delivering vaccinations for Covid-19 to school pupils since the
Christmas holidays.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health
and Social Care () (Con)
The Covid-19 vaccination programme continues rapidly, with nearly
52% of 12 to 15 year-olds vaccinated as of 15 January 2022. We
vaccinated over 372,000 12 to 15 year-olds in England between 17
December 2021 and 15 January 2022—that is nearly 400,000 in a
month, which included the Christmas break. Vaccinations for
children aged 12 to 15 can be booked in out-of-school settings
through the national booking service, alongside the ongoing
school-based offer. We currently have 314 sites offering
appointments that can be booked via the national booking
service.
(Lab)
I thank the Minister for that very full response but the figures
he has quoted are at odds with those issued just last week by the
Department for Education on the vaccination of 12 to 17
year-olds. The number of pupils absent from school with a
confirmed contraction of coronavirus was up by nearly 50% over
the figure for December. It cannot be a coincidence that only 40%
of 12 to 17 year- olds, in the DfE’s own figures, have been
vaccinated. This shows, whether it is the Department of Health or
the Department for Education, that the Government have really
failed to get a grip on the measures necessary to keep children
learning—whether it is the supply of testing kits or classroom
ventilation. I ask the Minister: what urgent action will the
Government take to increase the level of vaccination among school
pupils?
(Con)
I think the noble Lord is being slightly unfair in the sentiment
of his question. We have to remember that, when it came to
vaccinating children, there was a huge debate around, first,
whether it was ethical to do so and, secondly, whether the
vaccines used for adults were effective in children. We could not
really do any of that until we had sufficient data. It would have
been irresponsible just to have pushed ahead without the data.
Once we got the data, we started the vaccination programme for 16
and 17 year-olds and then for 12 to 15 year-olds, and we are
pushing through as much as possible. Parents can book for their
children on a national booking service. We expect many more
parents to do so.
(Con)
My Lords, the noble Baroness, Lady Brinton, has indicated her
wish to speak virtually, and I think this is a convenient point
for me to call her.
(LD) [V]
My Lords, many parents are still saying that they have not heard
when their clinically extremely vulnerable five to 11 year-olds
will get their vaccinations, despite the JCVI saying that they
should. Last week’s update to the GP green book now includes
severely CEV children as eligible for the third primary dose,
which is progress. However, there is no news for CEV young
children not classed as severe, so can the Minister please say
what he will do to ensure that GPs will call all these children
for their vaccinations as soon as possible?
(Con)
As the noble Baroness says, the JCVI advised on 22 December that
children aged five to 11 in a clinical risk group, or who are a
household contact of someone who is immunosuppressed, should be
vaccinated. GPs and hospital consultants are now urgently
identifying the children eligible, and we expect rollout to have
started by the end of this month, with children and parents
starting to be called up for appointments by the NHS locally. The
message here is that there is no need for parents to contact the
NHS; the NHS will make contact with the parents or carers of
those eligible. Just to further reassure parents, we will be
using a paediatric Pfizer vaccine authorised by the MHRA for use
in this age group.
(CB)
My Lords, given that it is safest to administer the vaccinations
in a school setting, and unlikely that this round of vaccinations
is the last one, has the Minister given any consideration to
expanding the specialist community health nurses, commonly known
as school nurses? Their numbers have been decreasing over the
last 10 years. They could play a role in the future
administration of vaccines in school settings.
(Con)
I recall well being sent to the school nurse—sometimes we have
fond memories, and sometimes less fond memories, of being sent to
the school nurse. The noble Baroness makes a really important
point. I will make inquiries and get back to her.
(Con)
My Lords, can my noble friend the Minister update the House on
what actions the Government have taken to protect school pupils
and teaching staff from the reckless behaviour and damaging
misinformation being propagated by anti-vax protesters?
(Con)
My noble friend raises a very important point, which I know a
number of other noble Lords have also raised. In a free society,
we have to get the balance right between freedom of speech and
ensuring that people have a right to say even those things with
which we may disagree fundamentally, while ensuring that
misinformation is not spread. The department has now provided
information and guidance to schools on how to handle any
misinformation, and who to contact if there are protests which
step beyond the line of acceptability and contravene the law. The
police now have comprehensive power to deal with the activities,
especially those which spread hate or deliberately raise tensions
through violence or public disorder. I am sure many people will
be aware of the attacks on vaccination centres in Truro in
October and in north Wales and at the Bromley Civic Centre
earlier this month. That was going way too far on freedom of
speech, and we want to make sure that we deal with the people who
take part in these acts.
(Lab)
My Lords, does the Minister agree with the World Health
Organization that the vaccination of children in the wealthy
world should not be at the expense of the vaccination of health
workers and vulnerable adults in the developing world? If so,
what more can the UK do to ensure that the developing world has
access to vaccines and the capacity to manufacture them?
(Con)
I once again pay tribute to the noble Lord, , for raising this issue and
for the number of times he has raised similar issues about the
developing world over the years. Since I became a junior Minister
of Health, I have been involved in many meetings with the G7 and
G20, and in bilateral meetings with other Health Ministers. This
item always comes up on the agenda and is something that the
British Government have pushed. We are leading donors to the
international COVAX programme and are working across the world,
with other countries and with manufacturers, to make sure that we
get the vaccines to those who really need them. While we here in
this country complain about third and fourth doses, for example,
there are still many people in many countries who have not even
had their first vaccine. In the longer term, that is not right
for anyone.
(LD)
My Lords, would the Minister give us a little bit more of an
insight into the general policy for vaccination of children at
schools? Although we have problems here, we have a history of
people resisting and giving bad information. Is there a coherent
strategy that will come out for school-age vaccination that we
can refer back to as a model for the future?
(Con)
One of the important things we all have to learn, from what we
have been through and are still going through, are lessons for
the future—not only for future Covid vaccines there may need to
be but for all vaccination programmes and, perhaps, future
pandemics. One of the really important things about this is
making sure we get the right information. We are working with
schools to make sure teachers and parents have the right
information and also know the risks. Many people will know that,
over the weekend, 16 and 17-year-olds were called for their
booster if there was a sufficient space since their last dose,
and we are now looking at how we vaccinate 12 to 15 year- olds.
We are looking in more detail at whether it is safe for five to
11-year-olds, but at the moment the advice is not there.
(Con)
My Lords, as my noble friend has said, this country is behind
some other countries in rolling out vaccinations to five to 11
year-olds. He will also be aware that the extent of Covid in that
age group is a major source of infection for parents and,
therefore, society as a whole. Have the Government taken account,
or will they take account, of the wider social and economic
benefits of vaccinating that age group and weigh them up
alongside the medical evidence?
(Con)
The JCVI will continue to look at the new data as it emerges and
recommend whether we boost 12 to 15 year-olds. But when we look
at the vaccination strategy, we look not only at the tackling of
the specific coronavirus or variant but also at the wider
implications. For example, many noble Lords have spoken
eloquently about the unintended consequences for mental health
issues of lockdown. Beyond that, we have to look at societal and
social issues and the way people, businesses, charities, et
cetera are affected in doing their work. We always make sure we
take a balanced approach, looking at the science, the wider
medical issues and the unintended consequences.
(Lab)
My Lords, the House is united on the importance of children’s
education continuing, but it is the lack of vaccinations not just
among children but among the teaching workforce that may
interrupt their education. Do the Government have any estimate of
the proportion of the teaching workforce that has not yet been
vaccinated or is off work for Covid-related reasons?
(Con)
The noble Viscount raises an important point. As we are expecting
our children to be vaccinated, it is important that teachers are
also vaccinated. It is one of the reasons we are looking at
VCOD—vaccination as a condition of deployment—in the health
service. In answer to the noble Viscount’s specific question, I
am afraid I do not have the information with me, but I will try
to speak to the Department for Education and write to him.
