§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for each health authority(a) the number of people eligible for the influenza vaccine and (b) the number of shots of vaccine available during winter 2003–04 and (c) whether the health authority has reported a shortage in supply. [145624]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe number of people aged 65 and over by strategic health authority is shown in the table. This year, there are nearly 12.4 million doses of vaccine available. No strategic health authority has reported a shortage of flu vaccine.
607W
Strategic health authority Population aged over 65 Cheshire and Merseyside 382,894 County Durham and Tees Valley 182,924 Cumbria and Lancashire 321,415 Greater Manchester 375,607 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire 283,378 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 233,567 South Yorkshire 205,232 West Yorkshire 313,728
Strategic health authority Population aged over 65 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 237,754 Birmingham and the Black Country 360,054 Coventry, Warwickshire. Herefordshire and Worcestershire 251,755 Essex 268,299 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 221,145 Norfolk. Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 388,676 Shropshire and Staffordshire 235,813 Trent 444,755 North Central London 145,780 North East London 181,018 North West London 214,823 South East London 189,867 South West London 161,786 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 357,190 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 293,145 Kent and Medway 263,637 Somerset and Dorset 248,767 South West Peninsula 316,441 Surrey and Sussex 478,280 Thames Valley 290.607