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Written Question
Coronavirus: Vaccination
Thursday 17th March 2022

Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the evidential basis and data which support the move away from the guidance of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to use the list of people who are already eligible for a free flu vaccine to determine those who should be offered a covid-19 booster vaccine.

Answered by Maggie Throup

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) initially considered the use of flu clinical risk groups as a potential way to identify and prioritise individuals eligible for the COVID-19 booster programme in its interim advice of 30 June 2021. However, on 14 September 2021, the JCVI’s final advice recommended that the prioritisation of those eligible for the booster campaign should align with phase one of the COVID-19 vaccination programme to ensure the most effective continuous protection. The Government accepted this advice.


Written Question
Motor Neurone Disease: Research
Friday 24th December 2021

Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to establish a motor neurone disease (MND) translational research institute committed to improving treatment for MND.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

There are no plans to introduce specific funding for the treatment of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) or a MND translational research institute. NHS England and NHS Improvement commission the specialised care and treatment that patients with MND may receive from the specialised neurological treatment centres across England. Funding decisions for these are made in line with local priorities.

The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). It is not usual practice to ring-fence funding for particular topics or conditions. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including MND. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.


Written Question
Motor Neurone Disease: Medical Treatments
Friday 24th December 2021

Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to introduce specific funding to target treatment for Motor Neurones Disease, set aside from the existing budget to cover an umbrella of neurodegenerative diseases.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

There are no plans to introduce specific funding for the treatment of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) or a MND translational research institute. NHS England and NHS Improvement commission the specialised care and treatment that patients with MND may receive from the specialised neurological treatment centres across England. Funding decisions for these are made in line with local priorities.

The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). It is not usual practice to ring-fence funding for particular topics or conditions. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including MND. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Vaccination
Monday 11th October 2021

Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has he made of the effect the cancellation of the Valneva covid-19 vaccine order during the trial of that vaccine on people (a) who are part of that trial who may or may not have received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine but do not yet know which vaccine they received and (b) who wish to remain as part of that trial.

Answered by Maggie Throup

The cancellation of the Valneva supply contract does not directly impact the clinical trials which are ongoing. Clinical trial participants who received a Valneva vaccination as part of their trial will continue to be able to prove their vaccination status and will be treated as fully vaccinated in domestic settings and at the United Kingdom border.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Vaccination
Tuesday 28th September 2021

Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to publish the data and evidential basis to support any deviation from the advice provided by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation on administration of a covid-19 vaccine to children aged between 12 and 15.

Answered by Maggie Throup

The United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers’ (CMOs) advice to offer universal vaccination to children and young people aged 12 to 15 years old and the data and evidential basis underpinning it was published on 13 September at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-vaccination-of-children-and-young-people-aged-12-to-15-years-against-covid-19

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) noted in its advice of 3 September that while the health benefits of vaccinating healthy 12 to 15 year olds outweighed the risks, the margin was too small to recommend vaccination on health grounds alone. The JCVI therefore suggested that the Government may wish to seek further views on the wider societal and educational impacts from the UK CMOs, with representation from the JCVI in these subsequent discussions. Noting the advice of the JCVI, Health Ministers then requested that the UK CMOs consider the matter, in line with JCVI advice. Accepting the JCVI’s advice, the UK CMOs considered the wider public health benefits of universal vaccination for this age group.

On 13 September, the Government accepted the advice of the UK CMOs to offer universal vaccination with a first dose of the Pfizer vaccine to children and young people aged 12 to 15 years old. This advice covers all those in this age group who were not already recommended for COVID-19 vaccination by existing advice from the JCVI.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Vaccination
Thursday 9th September 2021

Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the data and evidential basis which supports the decision of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to authorise administration of a covid-19 vaccine to people aged 16 and 17.

Answered by Nadhim Zahawi

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s advice on vaccination of those aged 16 to 17 years old was published on 4 August 2021. The statement sets out the basis for the advice and includes references to supporting evidence and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jcvi-statement-august-2021-covid-19-vaccination-of-children-and-young-people-aged-12-to-17-years


Written Question
Coronavirus: Vaccination
Monday 28th June 2021

Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the mandatory covid-19 vaccination program for social care workers announced on 16 June 2021, whether he plans to exempt employees who are shown to already have covid-19 antibodies in their system from mandatory vaccination; and if he will publish the advice to support that decision.

Answered by Nadhim Zahawi

The regulations to make vaccination a condition of deployment, laid on the 22 June, require care home providers to deploy only those staff and volunteers who have received a complete course of their COVID-19 vaccination, unless they are medically exempt.

There will be a small number of people where the clinical advice is that the COVID-19 vaccination is not suitable for them. Further details on this will be outlined in guidance, which we will provide in due course. This guidance will give more detail about exemptions, which will reflect the Green Book on Immunisation against infectious disease and clinical advice from the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation.


Written Question
Travel: Coronavirus
Monday 21st June 2021

Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department have a process in place for consumers to complain about private medical providers offering covid-19 testing in line with the travel quarantine requirements.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Any complaints should be raised with the provider in the first instance. If the issue cannot be resolved, the consumer should to contact their local trading standards office. Consumers are able to complain directly with the Department about private providers as we monitor these complaints and address these directly with the provider.


Written Question
Travel: Coronavirus
Tuesday 25th May 2021

Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the criteria used to determine which countries fall into the (a) red, (b) amber and (c) green categories for the purposes of international travel under covid-19 restrictions.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

A traffic light system is used to categorise countries based on risk. The decisions on red, amber or green list assignment are taken by the Government, informed by evidence which includes risk assessments undertaken by the Joint Biosecurity Centre alongside other wider public health factors.

A summary of the methodology used to inform these decisions is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-risk-assessment-methodology-to-inform-international-travel-traffic-light-system/risk-assessment-methodology-to-inform-international-travel-traffic-light-system


Written Question
Travel: Coronavirus
Friday 21st May 2021

Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to reduce the cost of PCR testing for people travelling for the purposes of visiting loved ones and family.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Since requirements were introduced for international travel testing, the costs have fallen significantly. We are committed to working with the travel industry and private testing providers to reduce the cost of this testing.