Vaccine passport ID checks cost taxpayers millions among spiralling Covid costs, new government figures reveal
The scottish government paid a tech company more than £3.3m for identification verification as part of its vaccine passport scheme, new contracts reveal.
The figure comes alongside a host of other Covid-19 costs which were published on the Public Contracts Scotland website this week.
Scotland’s vaccine passport scheme was dogged by technical issues when it was launched at the start of October, with people on social media reporting they were unable to gain access to their vaccine status.
The Covid Status App included a requirement for individuals to upload an identification document such as a passport or driving licence and take a picture of themselves to verify their identity.
Many people reported this aspect of the app did not work, while others were able to be verified but not gain access to their vaccine status.
The botched roll-out of the app led to Nicola Sturgeon apologising for the “deeply regrettable” error, acknowledging the “deep frustration” it has caused.
New contracts reveal that the US tech firm Jumio was given the contract for the identity verification services for the Covid certification app, with NHS Scotland shelling out more than £3.3m for the service.
The total amount paid to the company was £3,317,360, the Public Contracts Scotland website states.
A total of £1.2m was spent by the Scottish Government to Netcompany as part of its vaccine certification scheme, which includes the cost of extending “the use of this solution [the app] beyond travel into domestic certification”.
The deputy first minister, John Swinney, has said the government is considering extending the scheme into more venues, a move that was backed by a key adviser to Nicola Sturgeon, Professor Devi Sridhar.
The public health expert called on the government to include venues such as cafes and gyms in the scheme. Alongside the multi-million pound cost for identity checks, the Scottish Government has also been forced to shell out almost £2m to help support its vaccine rollout and contact tracing programme.
The Scottish Government was contacted for comment.