Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
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 11 March 2025 to Question 34608 on Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Appeals, whether past tribunal decisions are used to support assessments.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) appeal cases are overseen by His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service and processed through the First-tier Tribunal. Upon conclusion of an appeal, the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) receives a Statement of Reasons from the presiding judge. This document is reviewed by NHSBSA and used to inform and support continuous improvement initiatives within the organisation.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support (a) people injured by vaccination and (b) families affected by vaccine-related deaths.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In the very rare event where someone may have suffered a severe adverse reaction to a vaccine, care and treatment will be best met and managed by local National Health Service specialist services, augmented as appropriate by national specialist advice. Individuals will be treated and managed through existing healthcare services, with treatment dependent on the individual’s clinical needs.
Individuals can also apply to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) which provides a one-off, tax-free payment of £120,000 to claimants who have been found, on the balance of probabilities, to have been severely disabled as a result of vaccinations against certain diseases listed in the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979.
Outside of the VDPS, other government support remains available for those with a disability or long-term health condition, including Statutory Sick Pay, Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Attendance Allowance, and Personal Independence Payments. Further information is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/browse/benefits/disability
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to review the (a) scope, (b) eligibility, (c) criteria and (d) compensation level of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I would like to reiterate my profound sympathies to all those individuals who have experienced harm following vaccination, and to their families.
Ministers continue to consider options for reforming the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS).
In parallel, the Department continues to work with the NHS Business Services Authority, the administrators of the VDPS, to take further steps to improve the scheme, including through processing claims at a faster rate.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of applications to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme were successful at (a) first application and (b) appeal since 2020.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Between 1 January 2020 and 6 June 2025, data from the NHS Business Services Authority, the administrators of the scheme, shows that 205 claims to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme were successful at a first application. This equates to 1.5% of the claims that had received an initial outcome.
In the same time period, 29 mandatory reversal requests were successful. This equates to 2.1% of the reversal outcomes that had been notified to claimants.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of applications to the vaccine damage payment scheme since 2020 have been successful on appeal,by vaccine type.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data from the NHS Business Services Authority, the administrators of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS), shows that 22,408 VDPS claims were received between 1 November 2021 and 4 July 2025. 1.1% of these have been successful, with a further 0.1% having been successful following an appeal, known as a mandatory reversal. Of the claims received:
These figures are based on total applications received. Some of these applications will not yet have been assessed or were invalid.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of applications to the vaccine damage payment scheme since 2020 have been successful, by vaccine type.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data from the NHS Business Services Authority, the administrators of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS), shows that 22,408 VDPS claims were received between 1 November 2021 and 4 July 2025. 1.1% of these have been successful, with a further 0.1% having been successful following an appeal, known as a mandatory reversal. Of the claims received:
These figures are based on total applications received. Some of these applications will not yet have been assessed or were invalid.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many applications have been made to the vaccine damage payment scheme since 2020, by vaccine type.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data from the NHS Business Services Authority, the administrators of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS), shows that 22,408 VDPS claims were received between 1 November 2021 and 4 July 2025. 1.1% of these have been successful, with a further 0.1% having been successful following an appeal, known as a mandatory reversal. Of the claims received:
These figures are based on total applications received. Some of these applications will not yet have been assessed or were invalid.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Crawford & Company in administering the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme; and for what reason that company was selected to manage the process.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Business Services Authority is the administrator of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS). Crawford and Company provides a medical assessment service for the VDPS. Crawford and Company were awarded this contract following a formal procurement process under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (as amended). The procurement process was open, fair, and transparent. Crawford and Company emerged as the successful bidder following an evaluation of their bid, and the contract started in March 2022, following their successful bid.
Key performance indicators are in place to ensure the effectiveness of the medical assessment service, and are closely monitored via the contract. This includes a target that 95% of medical assessments are returned to the NHS Business Services Authority within 15 working days. The supplier has achieved this target since August 2023.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to review the (a) scope, (b) eligibility, (c) criteria and (d) compensation level of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I would like to express my deepest sympathies to those individuals who have experienced harm following vaccination, and to their families.
Ministers continue to consider options for reforming the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.
In parallel, the Department has been working with the NHS Business Services Authority, the administrators of the scheme, to take steps to improve the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, including through processing claims at a faster rate.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer 30 June 2025 of Question 58911 on Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Coronavirus, if he will set out a timetable for completion of the (a) consideration of options and (b) recommendations for change.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I reiterate my sincere condolences to individuals, and their families, who have experienced harm following vaccination.
At this stage, I am not in a position to comment on timelines for the consideration of options for reform or recommendations for change. Ministers continue to consider options covering both potential reforms to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, and the situation of those who have suffered harm following COVID-19 vaccination.
In parallel, the Department has been working with the NHS Business Services Authority, the administrators of the scheme, to take steps to improve the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme and process claims at a faster rate.