Select committee: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Recommendation 7
Second Report - Covid-Status Certification
Published 12 Jun 2021
Paragraph 45
Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee Covid 19 Vaccine Certification All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The Committee is very encouraged by the evidence we heard both from our expert witness and from the Government as regards vaccine efficacy. What the Committee also heard, however, was that there are significant areas of scientific uncertainty as regards to transmission, effectiveness of the vaccines, implications of new variants and accuracy of testing. The Government has so far failed to make the scientific case for the introduction of a Covid-status certification, in particular in light of the scientific uncertainties highlighted to the Committee. Given that, to date, 61% of the UK population has received at least one dose and 43% has received two doses of the vaccine and this is increasing by the day, there needs to be a clear and demonstrable benefit from the introduction of a Covid-status certification system. It appears to us that the success of the vaccination programme makes a Covid-status certification system unnecessary. The Government must clearly set out the scientific case for a Covid-status certification system alongside any announcement it makes introducing such a system. This is essential for the public understanding of the decision-making process behind such a system and to increase public acceptance of and compliance with vital measures to combat the pandemic.
From: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, Second Report - Covid-Status Certification (HC 42), paragraph 45, 12 June 2021
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 9 September 2021.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government's response does not accept the Committee's recommendation to abandon domestic Covid-status certification, stating that it "believes that certification would have a public health benefit" and will keep its wider application under consideration.
- On the Committee's view that no case has been made for certification, the government says it "believes that certification would provide a public health benefit", and that it is "encouraging the use of the NHS COVID Pass" for nightclubs and other venues where large crowds gather.
- On costs and modelling, it says the cost of certification "will differ depending on the final model used" and will be assessed against economic and social benefits "as we consider any wider introduction". Published Events Research Programme findings will be made available "in due course".
- On legislation and the Equalities Impact Assessment, it will provide the Assessment "ahead of the introduction of any legislation that may be required", and says the approach to any legislation "will be set out in due course".
- The Prime Minister has said the government plans to make full vaccination the condition of entry to nightclubs and other venues where large crowds gather by the end of September; it will "set out more detail" on affected settings "in due course".