To ask the Minister of Health whether he has any plans to submit a business case to prioritise key workers (i) in essential retail; (ii) living in rural areas; (iii) in private residential and care homes; and (iv) with underlying medical conditions, within the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

Vaccination policy in Northern Ireland is based on the recommendations and advice provided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) which advises the 4 UK Health Ministers. JCVI have not recommended occupational prioritisation other than Health & Social Care Workers at Priority Group 2. The rate limiting factor for deployment of the vaccine is the availability of vaccines. The purpose of this approach is to save as many lives as possible with the available vaccine.

Retail workers and those living rurally will be vaccinated in line with priority group they belong to as outlined by JCVI and in the published vaccination plan. Care home workers were vaccinated as part of priority group 1. Those people with underlying medical conditions which render them clinically extremely vulnerable are being vaccinated as part of priority group 4 and those clinically vulnerable will be vaccinated as part of priority group 6.