AQW 47773/22-27

Ms Connie Egan
Alliance Party
North Down

Tabled Date: 03/06/2026
Answered On Date: 29/06/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health, pursuant to AQW 44324/22-27, to detail any criteria his Department uses to select vaccinations available for travel under the General Medical Services contract.

Answer:

Travel vaccinations offered by General Practitioners in Northern Ireland under the General Medical Services (GMS) contract are based on recommendations of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and the advice of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The JCVI is an independent expert advisory body that provides scientific, evidence-based recommendations to UK health departments on immunisation and vaccine policy. UKHSA advice for health professionals on travel vaccinations is provided in the UKHSA ‘Immunisation Against Infectious Disease’, also known as ‘the Green Book’.

Responsibility for developing, reviewing and updating the General Medical Services contract falls under the remit of Primary Care in the Department of Health, working with key stakeholders, including the British Medical Association’s representative body, the Northern Ireland General Practitioners Committee. Vaccination for travel has been contained in the GMS Statement for Financial Entitlements since 2013/14 and are based on the recommendations within the Green Book.