To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the number of people to whom it plans to offer the swine influenza vaccination (a) in the Stockport Primary Care Trust area and (b) nationally. (304126)

The estimated number of people in the Stockport Primary Care Trust area who fall into a priority group for H1N1 influenza vaccination is about 55,000. There are an estimated 15,000 children aged over six months and under five years that would fall into the extended H1N1 vaccination programme.

The estimated number of people in England who fall into a priority group for H1N1 influenza vaccination is about 9.5 million. The estimated number of children in England who fall into the group aged over six months and under five years is about 2.75 million.

Health care workers involved in direct patient care can also receive the H1N1 vaccine. This applies to about 1 million individuals in England. There are an estimated 4,000 people who fall into this category working in Stockport national health service trusts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doses of swine influenza vaccine had been distributed to health centres (a) in the Stockport Primary Care Trust area and (b) nationally by 1 December 2009. (304192)

By 1 December 2009, 68,000 doses of swine influenza vaccine have been delivered to the Stockport primary care trust area. By the same date 8.8 million doses of swine flu vaccine had been delivered nationally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria are used by primary care trusts to prioritise individuals for swine influenza vaccinations. (304258)

The priority groups for swine flu vaccination were identified in the letter from the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) dated 13 August 2009, and this has been reiterated in subsequent communications to National Health Service staff. A copy of the letter has been placed in the Library.

The following groups were initially prioritised for vaccination in the following order:

individuals aged six months and up to 65 years in the current seasonal flu vaccine clinical at-risk groups;

all pregnant women;

household contacts of immunocompromised individuals; and

people aged 65 and over in the current seasonal flu vaccine clinical at-risk groups.

These groups were selected because they are at highest risk of severe illness. As vaccine became available, in some areas priority groups i to iii have been vaccinated concurrently, rather than in order of priority.

In addition to these groups, frontline health and social care workers have been offered the vaccine at the same time as the first clinical risk group as they are at increased risk of infection and of transmitting that infection to susceptible patients.

On 19 November 2009 the Department announced Phase 2 of the vaccination programme. The programme will be extended to children over six months and under five years, after the initial priority groups have been vaccinated. It will also be extended to main carers of older and disabled people, subject to discussions with carers’ organisations.