The Bishop of Durham received the following written answers on 22nd February 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government what funding has been provided to local authorities (1) to support (a) asylum seekers, (b) refugees, and (c) migrants, to register with a GP, and (2) to ensure that those people are factored into COVID-19 vaccination plans.
Lord Bethell (Con, DHSC): The COVID-19 vaccine is available free of charge to anyone living in England, including those here without permission. The terms under which general practices are commissioned to deliver vaccination services enable practices to vaccinate unregistered patients. Individuals who are not registered with a practice will therefore be able to access the vaccine in line with the priority groups outlined by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisations (JCVI). However, we would strongly encourage everyone to register so that they may be more easily invited for vaccination.
NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with local government, voluntary, community and social enterprise partners and Healthwatch England on a campaign to support all people, particularly those in inclusion health groups, to register with a general practitioner (GP), which supports the identification of those who should be prioritised for the vaccine.
NHS England and NHS Improvement fund health assessment services commissioned by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) for destitute asylum seekers in the six Home Office-commissioned initial accommodation centres in England. In 2020/21, approximately £3.2 million was allocated to those CCGs. These services are in place to avoid disproportionate impact on local GP services and health assessment services may refer individuals for GP registration, which now includes prioritisation for COVID-19 vaccination in line with the JCVI’s advice.
The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government:
- whether migrants who have not paid the International Health Surcharge will be charged for a COVID-19 vaccination; and whether there will be any checks on a person’s immigration status before such vaccinations are carried out.
- whether COVID-19 vaccinations will be made available to EU nationals who have not confirmed their status under the EU Settlement Scheme after the 30 June deadline for applications has passed.
- whether NHS staff organising COVID-19 vaccination appointments are required to ask patients for proof of residence in the UK.
Lord Bethell: Vaccination against COVID-19 is a primary care service and is free to everyone living in England, including all overseas visitors, regardless of their immigration status or nationality. This includes anyone living in the United Kingdom without permission. This service is not within scope of the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015 and as no charges apply, immigration status checks are not required in order to assess eligibility.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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