A bill to make vaccination in the United Kingdom compulsory for under 16s

BE IT ENACTED by The Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Commons in this present Parliament assembled, in accordance with the provisions of the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

Section 1: Definitions

a) For the purposes of this bill, these terms will have the following definitions:

i) 'Vaccine' is an antigenic substance prepared from the causative agent of a disease or a synthetic substitute, used to provide immunity against one or several diseases.

ii) ‘NHS’ is the National Health Service in England and Wales

iii) ‘NHS Health Facility’ is a building used by the National Health Service as a treatment center, for example a hospital, walk in centre, or GP surgery.

Section 2: Compulsory Vaccines for all

a) The following vaccines will be compulsory for all children and will administered by the National Health Service at the stated ages:

1. 5-in-1 (diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio and Haemophilus influenzae type B) - 8 weeks, 12 weeks, 16 weeks.
2. Pneumococcal - 8 weeks, 16 weeks, 1 year.
3. Rotavirus - 8 weeks, 12 weeks.
4. Meningitis B - 8 weeks, 16 weeks, 1 year.
5. Meningitis C - 12 weeks.
6. Haemophilus influenzae type B booster and Meningitis C booster - 1 year.
7. Measles, Mumps and Rubella - 1 year, 3 years and 4 months.
8. Flu - Each year from ages 2-6.
9. 4-in-1 booster (diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio) - 3 years and 4 months.
10. HPV - Males and females aged 12-13 years as two injections at least six months apart (but no more than 24 months apart).
11. 3-in-1 booster (tetanus, diphtheria and polio) - 14 years.
12. Meningitis A, C, W, Y - 14 years

Section 3: Compulsory Vaccines for Some

a) Any of the following vaccines will be compulsory for children who are at risk from the diseases outlined. The child will only need to be administered the vaccine(s) relative to their risk.

1. Chickenpox - Siblings of children who have suppressed immune systems and are susceptible to chickenpox - From the age of 1 year upwards.
2. Tuberculosis - babies and children who have a high chance of coming into contact with tuberculosis - From birth.
3. Hepatitis B - Children at high risk of exposure to hepatitis B - From birth.

Section 4: Administering of Vaccines

a) Vaccines where the child is not at a school age will be administered at a local NHS health facility. Parents will be contacted by the NHS to arrange these appointments.

b) Vaccines where the child is at school age will be arranged and administered at the child’s school for the whole class. This will be arranged by the school nurse.

c) The vaccines stated in Section 3 and Section 4 will be administered for free if the child is entitled to NHS medical care in the UK.

Section 5: Punishments for Non-Compliance

a) Parents who refuse to make appointments for their children to have the vaccines administered will be fined £50 per parent, per vaccine.
b) Parents who make appointments then do not attend will be given a written warning at the first offence.
i) If the non-attendance was due to illness or other circumstances where the child nor parent is at fault then no warning will be issued but the parent will be asked to book another appointment.
ii) If no notice of the cancellation was given, section 5.a will apply.
c) Exemption from the punishment will occur if:
i) The Vaccine cannot be administered for medical reasons
ii) The child is violent and refuses to have the vaccine administered.
d) If the child falls under Section 5.c.ii then they will be referred for psychological evaluation and the vaccination appointment will be re arranged.

Section 6: Commencement, Short Title and Extent

a) This bill will come into effect on the 1st of September 2016.

b) This bill may be cited as the Compulsory Vaccination Bill 2016.

c) This bill may apply to England and Wales only.

This bill was submitted by the Rt. Hon. /u/James_The_XV MP PC as a Private Member's Bill.

Voting on this bill will end on the 28th of July at 10pm BST

Vote Aye, No or Abstain. Comments with anything else will be deleted. Comments that are edited will be void and not counted.

If a member is voting by proxy, they must have gained permission from the speaker prior to this vote. If no permission was sought and granted, their vote will not be counted.