The Scottish Government has no plans to bring in vaccine passports, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said.
On Wednesday, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said the UK Government will not require people to carry identification to prove they have been vaccinated against coronavirus before they can go to theatres, stadiums or hospitality venues.
The issue sparked privacy and civil liberties concerns, with campaign groups and various politicians opposing any such identification system.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie also revealed his concern at the idea, which was posited by UK vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi this week before being tamped down by Mr Gove.
Mr Rennie said: “As a liberal, I am nervous about talk of immunity passports to get into shops, restaurants and on to planes.
“Putting personal information on to large databases has risks to privacy and the possibility of fraud hacking and theft.”
During First Minister’s Questions, he asked Nicola Sturgeon about the Scottish Government’s position on the issue.
She said: “It’s not something we plan to do, it’s not something we favour.
“I would share some of the philosophical and ethical objections to it, but there are also practical issues.”
The First Minister said it is not yet known if the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine approved on Wednesday – or any other jab awaiting approval – will stop the spread of the virus, making a passporting system impractical.
She said: “We won’t know for some time until the vaccine starts to be used if it prevents onward transmission.
“So the very concept, from a practical point of view, of saying just because you have had the vaccine you cannot pass it on to somebody is flawed.
“We have no plans to introduce immunity passports, just as we have no plans to make vaccination compulsory – although we will strongly encourage maximum take-up of the vaccine.
“I think perhaps, the starting point is for all of us across the chamber… to make clear it is not something this Parliament is contemplating at all.”
