Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have put in place to ensure that there will be sufficient influenza vaccine available from the start of the influenza season to vaccinate the entire population.

We have no plans to offer the influenza vaccination to the entire United Kingdom population. On 5 August 2020 we published the Annual Flu Letter Update 2020/21, which set out who will be eligible for flu vaccination this winter.

General practitioners and pharmacists are directly responsible for ordering flu vaccine from suppliers which are used to deliver the national flu programme to adults, and earlier this year they were asked to review their orders for flu vaccine to ensure they have sufficient vaccine for their eligible patients. We have also procured additional stock as part of our planning for this season.

Flu vaccination deliveries for those who are in at risk groups will start to be available in September and will continue in all areas in England throughout the winter months.