Ceredigion MP Ben Lake has today quizzed the UK Health Secretary on Wales’ vaccine allocation.

During an Urgent Question to Matt Hancock MP, Mr Lake pointed out that Wales has “the largest proportion of people aged over 70 in the UK, at over 17 per cent”.

The Ceredigion MP called for “reassurances that Wales receives a vaccine allocation which reflects this level of relative need”.

Plaid Cymru says that Wales appears now to be lagging behind in terms of vaccine rollout, with 5.58 per cent of people in Wales having received at least one dose of the vaccine, compared to 7.31 per cent in Northern Ireland, 7.08 per cent in England and 5.67 per cent in Scotland.

The party is calling on both the Welsh and UK governments to explain why Wales appears to have made slower progress.

Mr Lake asked Mr Hancock: “Frustrations with the Welsh Government’s rollout programme are well documented, and health boards in Wales this week have had to contend with some supply issues.

“Can the minister reassure me than any supply issues are being addressed and, given that Wales has the largest proportion of people aged over 70 in the UK – at over 17 per cent – can he give us some reassurance that Wales receives a vaccine allocation which reflects this level of relative need?”

In his response, Mr Hancock said “all of the three devolved nations are getting their vaccine according to fair shares”.

Speaking after the session, Mr Lake said: “The UK Secretary of State for Health says that supply is consistent across all four nations, yet both he and the Welsh health minister Vaughan Gething have failed to explain why Wales appears to have made slower progress.

“We know that Wales has an older population compared to the rest of the UK. Clearly this should be factored into how the vaccine is allocated to each nation.”