Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) availability of covid-19 booster vaccines, (b) average distance travelled to receive a covid-19 booster vaccine and (c) average waiting time for a resident to receive a covid-19 booster vaccine in Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council area.

Local sites in Barnsley have had access to vaccine supply for COVID-19 booster vaccinations since the start of the booster programme. Supply is distributed to local sites to meet the level of demand for booked appointments and capacity available. The level of supply has not been restricted and weekly orders have all been met.

There are currently 3 local vaccination sites in Barnsley (Apollo Court Dodworth, Goldthorpe LIFT building and Priory Campus), as well as pharmacy sites at Hoyland and Cortonwood. All Barnsley residents would fall within less than 10 miles of a vaccination site. The average distance travelled to a vaccination site is not collected centrally.

NHS England do not hold information on how long people wait for their vaccination. All eligible patients can book an appointment six months after receiving the 2^nd dose either at a local site or any other site available through the national booking system; appointments are available 7 days per week. There are also walk-in centres available for COVID-19 booster appointments, which further increase accessibility to those people who may experience difficulty booking.