Seòmar agus comataidhean

COVID Vaccine Passports

Letter from the Minister for Parliamentary Business to the Convener, 24 September 2021

Dear Convener,

Thank you for your letter of 16 September 2021 outlining your questions following my evidence to the committee on 14 September 2021.

The Covid Status App is being developed by NHS National Services Scotland and is due to be introduced on Thursday 30 September 2021. User guidance and information will be published on that date on NHS Inform and a Data Protection Impact Assessment is due to be published shortly after that date.

I have the following response to your specific questions.

Will the data required for the scheme include a person’s photograph?

A photograph is needed for the purpose of verifiying a person’s identity on setting up access and login for the app. That verification photograph will be securely deleted once the process of verification is complete. It will remain possible to request a paper certificate without the need to provide a photograph.

How will a venue or event covered by the scheme establish that the QR code provided by a member of the public matches the identity of that person?

For venues that meet the criteria for certification to apply, the person responsible for operating the premises will be under a legal obligation to take all reasonable measures to ensure that only customers who are fully vaccinated or exempt are on the premises.

NHS COVID Check is already available for venues to download from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. This will allow venues or event staff to either conduct a simple visual check of the app or paper based certificate, or scan the QR Code. The QR Code has anti- fraud measures built in and on scanning the QR code the certification information is displayed.

We do not propose to make it a requirement for a venue to further check an individual’s identity.

What information about that person's identity will be seen by staff at the venue or event?

When the scheme goes live on 1 October 2021, the person’s name, date of birth and vaccination data will be visible. This information displayed from the QR code is the same as the information currently within the paper vaccination status used for international travel.

The app will be updated during October to include separate Domestic Certification summary information that will simply include the person’s name and either a tick or a cross. In practice, this will allow a person to access, via the app, their full information which is required for international travel or their summary information which will be required for domestic certification.

George Adam