Debate on an e-petition relating to Covid-19 vaccine passports

An e-petition on Do not rollout Covid-19 vaccine passports (569957) has received over 280,000 signatures. It calls on the Government to “commit to not rolling out any e-vaccination status/immunity passport to the British public”.

The Government published a response to the petition on 3 March 2021. It will be debated in Westminster Hall on Monday 15 March 2021 at 4.30pm. The debate will be led by Mike Hill MP.

A ‘vaccine passport’ refers to documentation certifying that the holder has been vaccinated against a specific disease / virus. They are sometimes referred to as ‘immunity passports’ or ‘immunity certificates’. In the context of Covid-19, the latter term has encompassed test results that demonstrate a person is not currently infected with Covid-19 (eg a negative result from a PCR test), or that they have immunity to the SARS-Cov-2 virus (eg from past infection).

The purpose of a vaccine passport is to enable the holder to undertake certain activities not available to others, since possession of a passport in theory demonstrates to those checking it that the holder is a reduced risk to public health. While passports are typically thought of in the context of facilitating international travel, Covid-19 vaccine passports have also been proposed for use in a domestic setting.  Some UK employers, for example, are looking into whether a Covid-19 passport or certificate could be required to work in certain settings, like health and social care. Others have suggested that they could be used to enable access to cinemas and other venues.

The House of Commons Library has produced two briefings of relevance to the debate on vaccine passports which have further information on their potential applications:

• Coronavirus: Covid-19 vaccine roll-out. Frequently Asked Questions, 4 March 2021 (see section 7);
• Coronavirus: Returning to work, 3 March 2021 (see section 2.6 on vaccinations and employment law).