Select committee: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Recommendation 13
Second Report - Covid-Status Certification
Published 12 Jun 2021
Paragraph 73
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)
We have strong concerns about the data protection risks that are involved in establishing a Covid-status certification system. Again, given that the Government have not established a clear scientific case, nor a good overriding public interest Covid-Status Certification 33 case, for the introduction of a Covid-status certification system, establishing the infrastructure necessary for such a system is an ineffective use of resources that cannot be justified. Furthermore, if a certificate system were introduced the Government would be introducing a system fraught with data protection and security risks. The Committee believes that the Data Protection Impact Assessment for any app hosting a Covid-status certificate should be published.
From: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, Second Report - Covid-Status Certification (HC 42), paragraph 73, 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".