Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason vaccination passports will be used as criterion for entry to (a) indoor spaces and (b) large outdoor gatherings when those who have been vaccinated can still transmit covid-19.

Mandatory vaccination or test certification is part of a package of measures aimed at reducing pressure on the National Health Service. Negative test results provide some assurance that an individual is not infectious when the test is taken and for a short time afterwards. There is evidence to suggest that vaccination reduces the likelihood of infection or transmission for the Delta variant, which continues to circulate. There is insufficient data to determine the effect of boosters on transmission at this stage.

There is a high level of uncertainty about the effectiveness of vaccination against infection or transmission for the Omicron variant. We do not yet know the impact vaccination has on the severity of illness with this variant.

Introducing vaccine or test certification will help reduce risks in these settings when compared with no intervention. However, it will not eliminate the possibility of infectious people attending or transmitting the virus in these settings so individuals should continue to exercise caution.