Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services – in the Senedd at 1:53 pm on 4 November 2020.
There are two things that I'd say to that. The first is that we're taking the same approach that every nation in the UK is on the procurement and supply of a vaccine. There's nothing unusual in doing that. And actually, whilst I can and will continue, no doubt, to be sharply critical of the UK Government where I disagree with them, on the issue of the procurement and supply of vaccines, I just don't think there are grounds to suggest that the UK Government would somehow advantage one part of the UK over another. It's why not just this Welsh Labour-led Government is part of a UK-wide procurement programme; it's why the Northern Ireland Executive, led by a combination of unionists and republicans, and the Scottish nationalist Government are also part of those same arrangements for the procurement and supply of a vaccine.
The arrangements for the delivery of that vaccine are down to each of the four nations. And, as I said, we already have plans that are being developed and worked through here for the delivery of a vaccine, and that would include the possible delivery of a vaccination programme within this calendar year, if a vaccine is available. And if we are going to do that, and if we do have a vaccine that is available to enable us to do so, you can certainly expect there will be direct and clear communications from the Government and from our national health service about what we are doing and why, which groups of the public we expect to benefit from that, and how we propose to deliver that in practical terms. In many ways, the delivery of the seasonal flu campaign is a helpful precursor to doing so, and I'm very please to say that we've actually had a greater uptake at this point in the year than last year, and that should provide population protection and coverage. I really hope that is a longer lasting impact of this pandemic—that people will undertake their own seasonal flu protection in greater numbers in the future.