Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to make people aged between 65 and 70 eligible for the shingles vaccination.

There are no plans to review the age criteria for the expansion of the shingles programme. The current policy to offer shingles vaccine to anyone who turned 65 or 70 years old on or after 1 September 2023 as well as to anyone aged 50 years old and over who is at higher risk of serious complications has significantly expanded this already successful programme.

The phased roll-out to move the eligible age for receiving shingles vaccine down to 60 years old from 70 for the routine shingles programme for immunocompetent individuals is based on advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). When any vaccination programme is introduced, difficult decisions need to be made on who will be eligible first and in what order they should be offered the vaccine. A copy of the relevant JCVI minutes is attached.

People aged between 66 and 69 years old on 1 September 2023 who do not have a severely weakened immune system will become eligible for shingles vaccination when they turn 70 years old as they would have done prior to 1 September 2023. This phased approach to the expansion has been used in the effective implementation of previous immunisation programmes and whilst it may mean that some individuals may have to wait until they are eligible, many others will receive the vaccine sooner and will benefit for longer.