Recommendations & Conclusions
22 items
2
Recommendation
First Report: Coronavirus and Scotland:…
The UK Government has failed to make clear when its messaging applies only to England, causing unnecessary confusion in the devolved nations. There should be messaging clarity to minimise confusion across national boundaries, and this must begin to happen with immediate effect. Then, in its response to the Committee, the …
Government response. The UK Government remains committed to concluding the Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) review, working closely with the DAs to agree a finalised product. In August and September, Ministers from all administrations met to discuss an interim proposal for dispute avoidance and …
Scotland Office
3
Recommendation
First Report: Coronavirus and Scotland:…
We are concerned to hear that Ministerial Implementation Groups (MIGs) and COBRA have ceased to meet in the context of the pandemic. From what we have heard about how communication standards currently stand, decision-makers in devolved nations have come to be consulted in an informal way, rather than via formalised, …
Government response. Interim report recommendations: (7) Evidence heard on the role of the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland (Scotland Office) echoes the findings of the previous Committee, which found that Scottish and UK Ministerial counterparts preferred to communicate directly, …
Scotland Office
4
Recommendation
First Report: Coronavirus and Scotland:…
Looking to the future, Ministers must outline, in response to this report, their plans for the coronavirus Cabinet Committees, [Covid-19 Operations Committee and COVID-19 Strategy Committee] and how those Committees will incorporate the priorities of the devolved nations. In view of the previous Scottish Affairs Committee’s report on intergovernmental relations, …
Government response. The report on Exercise Cygnus is available here. Exercise Cygnus identified 22 recommendations (or lessons in the terminology of the report) which were all accepted by the UK Government. For example, lesson 4 recommended that meetings of the four Health …
Scotland Office
5
Recommendation
First Report: Coronavirus and Scotland:…
We have also noted that the Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) has not been used as a method of intergovernmental communication throughout the pandemic, although we have heard suggestions that it would not have been fit for purpose in the COVID-19 context. This raises further questions about the resilience and suitability …
Government response. HM Treasury (HMT) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have committed to undertaking a detailed evaluation of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS). Given the economic and fiscal significance of these unprecedented economic …
Scotland Office
6
Conclusion
First Report: Coronavirus and Scotland:…
We also recommend that the Government explain to us how it will incorporate concerns about the resilience and suitability of current IGR structures (particularly the JMC) into its ongoing review of Intergovernmental Relations.
Government response. The response will be produced in the coming weeks.
Scotland Office
7
Conclusion
First Report: Coronavirus and Scotland:…
Evidence heard on the role of the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland (Scotland Office) echoes the findings of the previous Committee, which found that Scottish and UK Ministerial counterparts preferred to communicate directly, rather than via the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland. While the …
Government response. We note the findings of the Committee. The UK Government is carefully considering the findings of the Pilot to date and we hope to say more on this in due course.
Scotland Office
8
Recommendation
First Report: Coronavirus and Scotland:…
The Government must specify and define a clear role for the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland in the context of COVID-19 and similar UK-wide emergencies. We understand that the Department is committed to being Scotland’s voice in Whitehall and has already arranged a series of communications between …
Government response. The UK Government welcomes the recommendations of the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) on the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). The Home Secretary wrote to the Chair, Professor Brian Bell, on 22 October 2020 to thank him for the thoughtful and comprehensive …
Scotland Office
9
Conclusion
First Report: Coronavirus and Scotland:…
Communication on a scientific level appears to have been regular and consistent between the four nations. Transparency around SAGE has improved with the publication of its membership and minutes. However, it is unclear whether the advice given by SAGE and the Scottish Government’s COVID-19 Advisory Group to their respective Governments …
Government response. The UK Government’s Department for International Trade has launched a UK Trade Hub, based in Edinburgh’s Queen Elizabeth House, to support Scottish businesses. This new Trade Hub will be dedicated to helping businesses in Scotland thrive and grow internationally, providing …
Scotland Office
10
Recommendation
First Report: Coronavirus and Scotland:…
We call on the UK and Scottish Governments to provide details of the procedures and processes used by their advisory groups for providing scientific advice. A commitment to transparency around scientific advice would provide the public and Parliament with the means necessary to scrutinise decisions around the pandemic. (Paragraph 84) …
Government response. The UK Government has long recognised the threat to the UK and other countries posed by global pandemics and has involved the DAs closely in preparing for them The UK Influenza Preparedness Strategy 2011 is a UK-wide document on influenza …
Scotland Office
11
Recommendation
First Report: Coronavirus and Scotland:…
In addition, we recommend that both the UK and Scottish Governments should consider increasing the number of ‘on the ground’ public health officials in key advisory roles to complement the expertise of academics.
Government response. SAGE actively releases information on gov.uk to meet the ongoing commitment to transparency and openness. This information includes: • detailed minutes of all SAGE meetings; • SAGE and Sub-Group participant lists; and • an extensive range of SAGE endorsed content …
Scotland Office
12
Conclusion
First Report: Coronavirus and Scotland:…
The concept of the Joint Biosecurity Centre has been broadly welcomed by the witnesses we heard from, particularly the opportunity for the sharing and development of data sets. However, some questions around the role of the Centre remain, particularly how the devolved nations will feed in.
Government response. It is because viruses have no regard for jurisdictional boundaries that the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC) was established to operate across the UK - we all need to work together at this time to protect the health and jobs of …
Scotland Office
13
Recommendation
First Report: Coronavirus and Scotland:…
The Government must answer a range of outstanding questions in relation to the Joint Biosecurity Centre, including: the Government’s assessment of the benefits of establishing such a Centre for all four nations, how the devolved administrations will contribute and who in the Scottish Government will be given the opportunity to …
Government response. It is because viruses have no regard for jurisdictional boundaries that the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC) was established to operate across the UK - we all need to work together at this time to protect the health and jobs of …
Scotland Office
1
Conclusion
Second Report - Coronavirus and Scotland
We agree with Professor Nicola McEwen that trust is an essential ingredient for intergovernmental relations, and it is clear that trust needs to develop between the UK and Scottish Governments. This takes effort from both sides. Holding regular, formal, structured, minuted meetings is an essential part of co-ordinating the response …
Government response. and recommend that a timetable of regular intergovernmental meetings should be set up, both during the rest of this pandemic, especially if there is a second wave, but also for after the pandemic. We need a resilient format to be …
Scotland Office
2
Conclusion
Second Report - Coronavirus and Scotland
We welcome the review of intergovernmental working and look forward to seeing the results of the report. We intend to return to this issue later in the Parliament.
Government response. The UK Government remains committed to concluding the Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) review, working closely with the DAs to agree a finalised product. In August and September, Ministers from all administrations met to discuss an interim proposal for dispute avoidance and …
Scotland Office
3
Conclusion
Second Report - Coronavirus and Scotland
The evidence we received covering the general role of the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland has been helpful. We look forward to hearing a response to the recommendation in the interim report about the specific role of the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland during …
Government response. Interim report recommendations: (7) Evidence heard on the role of the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland (Scotland Office) echoes the findings of the previous Committee, which found that Scottish and UK Ministerial counterparts preferred to communicate directly, …
Scotland Office
4
Recommendation
Second Report - Coronavirus and Scotland
We recommend that the lessons learned from Exercise Cygnus in relation to intergovernmental working, specifically inviting devolved administrations to smaller meetings, are revisited. This should feed into the public inquiry of Covid-19, as committed to by the Prime Minister. A section of this public inquiry should relate to the pandemic …
Government response. The report on Exercise Cygnus is available here. Exercise Cygnus identified 22 recommendations (or lessons in the terminology of the report) which were all accepted by the UK Government. For example, lesson 4 recommended that meetings of the four Health …
Scotland Office
5
Conclusion
Second Report - Coronavirus and Scotland
The evidence we have received suggests that the economic support packages provided by both the UK and Scottish Governments have been effective. Nonetheless, we believe that there is a case for conducting a review of the impacts of these packages, Coronavirus and Scotland 39 ensure they provided value for money …
Government response. HM Treasury (HMT) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have committed to undertaking a detailed evaluation of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS). Given the economic and fiscal significance of these unprecedented economic …
Scotland Office
6
Conclusion
Second Report - Coronavirus and Scotland
The Government response to our predecessor Committee’s report on Immigration and Scotland is now more than two years overdue. While we acknowledge the exceptional pressures on the Government in recent years, a delay of this length is wholly unacceptable. The response must now be produced as soon as possible, and …
Government response. The response will be produced in the coming weeks.
Scotland Office
7
Conclusion
Second Report - Coronavirus and Scotland
The Seasonal Workers Pilot Scheme is vital for the Scottish food sector, the pandemic highlighted that there is not the local take-up for these seasonal roles. We believe that not having enough people to harvest Scottish food puts an important part of the Scottish economy at risk, along with the …
Government response. We note the findings of the Committee. The UK Government is carefully considering the findings of the Pilot to date and we hope to say more on this in due course.
Scotland Office
8
Recommendation
Second Report - Coronavirus and Scotland
We acknowledge there are staffing issues for the health and social care sector and that the Migration Advisory Committee did not have enough information when making the decisions about the Shortage Occupation List for Scotland. We welcome the recent development of including senior care workers and nursing assistants to the …
Government response. The UK Government welcomes the recommendations of the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) on the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). The Home Secretary wrote to the Chair, Professor Brian Bell, on 22 October 2020 to thank him for the thoughtful and comprehensive …
Scotland Office
9
Conclusion
Second Report - Coronavirus and Scotland
Scottish exports make a major contribution to the Scottish economy and the risks to those key export sectors ought to be a major concern of both the UK and Scottish Governments. We have heard about the huge reduction in exports throughout the first part of 2020, largely due to the …
Government response. The UK Government’s Department for International Trade has launched a UK Trade Hub, based in Edinburgh’s Queen Elizabeth House, to support Scottish businesses. This new Trade Hub will be dedicated to helping businesses in Scotland thrive and grow internationally, providing …
Scotland Office
10
Recommendation
Second Report - Coronavirus and Scotland
We recommend that when the UK Government plans for future pandemics it considers all three areas—immigration, supply chain and exports—as part of the whole picture. Where responsibility is devolved to Scotland, the UK Government and Scottish Government should work closely together to support these three key areas. These plans should …
Government response. The UK Government has long recognised the threat to the UK and other countries posed by global pandemics and has involved the DAs closely in preparing for them The UK Influenza Preparedness Strategy 2011 is a UK-wide document on influenza …
Scotland Office