Brian Gormally

The Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) states in a detailed briefing that there is an “arguable case” that a vaccine passport scheme could breach human rights laws.

Both the UK government and the Northern Ireland Executive are currently considering the merits of a vaccine passport scheme, though there is no clarity on what it would cover.

Many countries which are making progress in vaccinating their population against Covid-19 are considering schemes to make certain public health restrictions apply only to people who cannot prove they have been vaccinated.

This could be limited to international travel, but could also be extended beyond this to cover access to pubs and shops, or employment.

Brian Gormally, director of CAJ, said: “Do we really want to be forced to produce ID, containing personal health data, before we can go to the pub, eat in a restaurant and perhaps go to work or enter a shop? And what about those who cannot be vaccinated through illness or disability – are they to be further excluded from normal society?

“We know that vaccination against certain diseases is already necessary for travel to some countries, and a system confined to international travel might be more acceptable. However, once we accept a digital identity card there is always the danger of ‘mission creep’ and we might have to show it to access all kinds of social facilities.

“A court would have to decide whether a vaccination app was actually unlawful, but we would urge the Executive to consider very carefully before agreeing any kind of vaccination passport or app.”