Dear constituent,

Thank you for contacting me about proposals for domestic COVID-19 vaccine passports. I appreciate that there are strongly held views on both sides of this debate.

I firmly believe that vaccines are the most effective public health intervention against COVID-19. However, on current evidence I do not support a wide-ranging rollout of certification based on vaccination status alone.

In July, the Prime Minister said full vaccination would be made a condition of entry to nightclubs and other large capacity venues from September. Recently, the Health Secretary said plans to introduce vaccine passports will not go ahead. However, the Government has since confirmed it will keep them “in reserve” should they be needed over the autumn or winter.

I am concerned that the Government has created confusion and uncertainty over COVID-19 passports. And I share the frustration that will be felt by many businesses and individuals in our constituency. The Government must clarify its position and allow the House of Commons to make a final decision on whether it is an appropriate intervention.

In my view, the use of COVID-19 passports capturing only vaccination status would be costly and impractical. And being double jabbed does not prove that an individual is not carrying the virus. Testing for access to venues would be more efficient, for example, and it would give people and businesses more certainty.

The Government must do everything possible to avoid a two-tier society in which those who are unable to be vaccinated are blocked from essential services or excluded from other indoor settings. I am concerned that asking people to produce a vaccine certificate to access their workplace, health services, or shops, for example, is discriminatory; it will add burden to businesses, and it may come at a significant cost.

These are all hugely important considerations that I hope Ministers will bear in mind should they bring forward proposals.

As your elected representative in Parliament, I will follow developments in this area closely and bear in mind the points you have raised.

Thank you once again for contacting me about this important issue.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Dowd MP