Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many claims for payments under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme were assessed by the Government's contractor, Crawford and Company, in the weeks beginning (a) 16 May, (b) 23 May and (c) 30 May 2022; and what was the outcome of those assessments.

The Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme medical assessments commenced from the week of 23 May 2022 , with none currently concluded. As these claims are the first related to COVID-19 to be assessed under the Scheme, the NHS Business Services Authority is unable to provide a timescale for the conclusion of these assessments. The NHS Business Services Authority is updating claimants on progress and working with the supplier to progress the cases

As medical assessments have recently commenced, initially the number of cases is being limited to ensure effective and consistent training of medical assessors and therefore outcomes. The NHS Business Services Authority intends to increase the number of medical assessments to ensure claims are assessed as soon as possible.

The following table shows the number of cases shared with Crawford and Company for medical assessment in the weeks commencing 23 May and 30 May 2022.