HC Deb 22 July 1997 vol 298 cc560-2W
Mr. Barron

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by his Department on mumps, measles and rubella vaccination campaigns for each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what is the amount of expenditure planned for(a) 1997; (b) 1998 and (c) 1999. [7838]

Ms Jowell

It is not possible to identify expenditure on measles, mumps and rubella immunisation separately within the childhood immunisation programme.

Immunisation expenditure is made up of three components: the cost of buying the vaccines; the cost of giving the vaccines; and the cost of the accompanying information materials. Only vaccine purchase expenditure can be identified for each vaccine, and is shown in the table.

Expenditure on giving measles, mumps and rubella immunisations cannot be separately identified since general practitioners receive a target payment for immunisation based on the percentage of children on their list who are immunised against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, haemophilus influenzae type B, and measles, mumps and rubella. Similarly information expenditure, through the Health Education Authority and the Department of Health's own immunisation materials for parents, covers the whole immunisation programme: as such it is not possible to identify expenditure which might be attributable to measles, mumps and rubella immunisation.

The cost of purchasing measles, mumps and rubella vaccines in each of the last five financial years is in the table:

  • 1992–93: £4.3 million
  • 1993–94: £5.3 million
  • 1994–95: £16.8 million
  • 1995–96: £6.8 million
  • 1996–97: £9.7 million

The figures include:

  1. (i) all years: a single dose of measles, mumps and rubella(MMR)—vaccine offered to all children at age 12 to 15 months;
  2. (ii) all years: rubella vaccine offered to sero-negative women;
  3. (iii) 1994–95: measles and rubella vaccine offered to all children aged between 5 and 16 during a nationwide campaign to avert a predicted epidemic;
  4. (iv) until October 1996: rubella immunisation offered to all girls at age 10–14;
  5. (v) from October 1996: a second dose of MMR vaccine offered to all children at the time they receive their pre-school immunisations.
  6. (vi) a catch-up second dose MMR programme also initiated from October 1996. Full details are in EL(96)61, copies of which are available in the Library.

The estimated cost of measles, mumps and rubella vaccines purchased over the next three years is:

  • 1997–98: £7.9 million
  • 1998–99: £7.9 million
  • 1999–2000: £7.8 million

Note: includes the forecast of two doses of MMR vaccine offered to all children before school entry; and rubella vaccine offered to sero-negative women.