Welsh Tory MP asks UK Government to help ‘slower’ Wales roll out booster jabs
A Conservative MP has called on the UK Government to help Wales roll out booster jabs, saying that the Welsh Government have been “slower” to do so.
Vale of Glamorgan MP Alun Cairns made the claim despite yesterday’s latest figures suggesting that Wales only lagged England by only 0.1% in terms of booster jabs for eligible adults – by 40.7% to 40.8%.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Alun Cairns asked the Health Secretary Sajid Javid if the UK Government could share their “expertise and capacity” with Wales.
“I pay tribute to my right honourable friend for the speed and efficiency with which he, the Government and the NHS are rolling out the booster programme,” Alun Cairns said.
“Does he share my concern that the roll-out of the programme is somewhat slower in Wales? There is no access to walk-in centres, no online booking system and the local health boards are depending on Royal Mail when the postal system is under the greatest pressure because of Christmas and because of staff off with covid.
“Will he agree to share the expertise and capacity that the UK Government have built up in the most positive way with the devolved Administrations—specifically with the Welsh Government —so that my constituents can receive the same access as his?”
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said that he would give “more support” to Wales.
“I very much agree: the omicron emergency is UK-wide and all parts of the UK should respond by increasing whatever they are doing on the booster programme further,” he said.
“I think that that view is shared throughout the UK. We will provide more support to Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland to make sure that they can increase their booster programmes.”
‘Accelerate’
Yesterday, the First Minister Mark Drakeford said that Wales would aim to offer all eligible adults a booster by the end of December – the same target as England.
“New clinics have been opened and operating hours extended,” he said. “Urgent efforts are now underway to accelerate the programme even further so we can offer all eligible adults an appointment by the end of this year if possible.
“Please make getting a booster a priority, as it is the single of the most important things you can do to protect yourself against coronavirus and this new variant.”
In his address on Sunday, the Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that Wales will get “additional support to accelerate vaccinations” as he brought England’s target to vaccinate all over-18s with a booster jab forward a month to the New Year.
Boris Johnson declared an “Omicron emergency” which would be matched by an “Omicron Emergency Booster National Mission”.
“We’ve spoken today to the devolved administrations to confirm that the UK Government will provide additional support to accelerate vaccinations in Scotland, Wales and Northen Ireland,” he said.
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It’s time to kick all English party’s out of wales 🏴 they are a disgrace to wales 🏴 stop being little Englanders and be proud to be welsh start fighting for your children and grandchildren future in wales 🏴 it’s time for a new wales 🏴
Let’s find a post for which GJ does not think this mindless comment is not applicable.
Words fail me…. As a Plaid member I would propose that and electoral pact with Labour to get rid of as many Tory MPs out of Cymru as possible, both parties would net gain seats and we would not have to read this sort of nonsense ever again
Isn’t Wales fortunate to have so many politicians of the calibre of wee Alun? What a bradwr he is…
100% agree Gareth.How low will these clown’s sink to score a political point.We need to get rid of these cockroaches and aim for full independance.Wales would be far better without them.
Considering the demographic differences, I’d say we actually doing better.
Perhaps he has in mind a friend who runs a company that can ‘help’.
Yes indeed he has plenty of those types of friends, each handing over a fat annual fee for doing next to nothing except bending rules of course.
they are digging themselves a hole these tories – and too f ing stupid to see it. B e glad to see the back of them.
Yesterday there were stories about a couple driving for several hours to Stevenage only to be turned away because there wasn’t actually a drop-in centre despite it being described as one on the internet; stories about people with appointments in the same queue as those accessing the drop-in and missing their time slot; stories about people being turned away at 2pm because the line was already so big… If this was in Wales Cairns would be saying its the sign of a failed state with no organisation. Scotland has lessons to teach rest of the UK about how to manage… Read more »
There is a walk-in centre in Stevenage, Herts, and I don’t know of another Stevenage!
It’s at The Robinson Centre. My wife and I had our boosters on 8th of November. We had our first two vaccinations there too.
The point I was making was that contrary to what George had read, there is a walk-in centre in Stevenage. Sorry about the mistake with the centres name. Have you seeen the national papers today? Queues everywhere I’m glad to say.
An English proverb. Empty vessels make the most noise.
His boss only the other day was accusing to the Labour party of politicising the pandemic.
Then out ccomes our former Viceroy to do just that!
Only Cairns would try to take political advantage of such a minimal difference. What kind of people elect people like him?
Why Isn’t he making a speech in parliament about the the hundreds of very dangerous old coal s**g heaps in south Wales take the profits and run come on. Alun make a speech about that the labour party are keeping quiet about it because they took the money from the dead children’s fund to make the coal s**g tips that killed them safe
Y lembo!
Shut up everyone Alun Browntongue is speaking.
Poor attempt at a dead cat strategy. Makes a fuss of a 0.1% difference between England and Wales. Trying to distract from 20 million English people desperately trying to get jabs and no lateral flows in huge numbers of chemists. The Tories in Wales voting against COVID passports and the Westminster Tory government introducing legislation to have COVID passports and little Alun Cairns thinks anyone is going to be fooled by his attempt to distract from Tory incompetence and division.
If Cairns’ grubby reputation is anything to go by, somebody must have paid him a handsome back-hander.
Corrupt Tory boy antagonist Alun Cairns like most Conservatives have not only gained financially from this pandemic but are playing political games to cover up their dire misrule in England and Britain as a whole. Notice how Welsh NHS again is being attacked by the Tories not Scotland? The same occurred with David Cameron regime where our Welsh NHS was attacked with that infamous slur “Offa’s Dyke, the divide between life and death” even though all four nations heath systems were struggling to cope. At the time Wales was the focal point of David Cameron’s Con/Lib Government bile while Scotland… Read more »
Alun Cairns – utter slimeball in it for himself and no one else, certainly not Wales.
Reminds me of a small house dog that my aunt and uncle used to have. Very noisy little thing, extremely loyal to whoever would feed him titbits at the table. Absolutely useless as a working dog on the farm, with a bark louder than its bite!. As I recall the dog was a Cairn terrier!