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 21 June 2022 to Question 16826, whether the reference numbers given to individual applications under the vaccine damage payments scheme are in the public domain; and by what means an hon. Member can obtain information about the progress of a constituent's case where the constituent has given specific authority for that information to be sought through the use of a Parliamentary question with the case being identified only by its reference number.

Individual reference numbers are not in the public domain as these are classed as personal data from which a claimant could be identified. The NHS Business Services Authority is updating all claimants on progress. A claimant may receive further updates on their claim by contacting the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme at the NHS Business Services Authority.

A claimant may also provide a representative with the authority to act on their behalf and receive updates on their claim by providing written confirmation to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme at the NHS Business Services Authority. This process ensures sensitive information is protected and remains confidential.