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Select Committee · Scottish Affairs Committee

Coronavirus and Scotland

Status: Closed Opened: 12 May 2020 Closed: 1 Feb 2021 16 recommendations 6 conclusions 2 reports

The Committee will be inquiring into the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on: the four-nation approach intergovernmental communication scientific advice policy divergence the impact of coronavirus on various sectors in Scotland Read the call for evidence for more detail about the inquiry

Clear

Reports

2 reports
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Second Report - Coronavirus and Scotland HC 895 22 Oct 2020 10 Responded
First Report: Coronavirus and Scotland: Interim Report on I… HC 314 23 Jul 2020 12 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

6 items
11 Recommendation First Report: Coronavirus and Scotland:… Accepted

In addition, we recommend that both the UK and Scottish Governments should consider increasing the...

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 AI summary
The government states that SAGE already has strong representation from public health officials and provides details on existing scientific advisory structures and information sharing, but does not commit to increasing their number.
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Scotland Office
12 Conclusion First Report: Coronavirus and Scotland:… Accepted

The concept of the Joint Biosecurity Centre has been broadly welcomed by the witnesses we...

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. Read more

Government response AI summary
The government confirmed that UK and Scottish Governments agreed and enacted secondary legislation allowing the Joint Biosecurity Centre to carry out functions in Scotland, directly addressing concerns about devolved nation involvement.
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Scotland Office
2 Conclusion Second Report - Coronavirus and Scotland Accepted

We welcome the review of intergovernmental working and look forward to seeing the results of...

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 AI summary
The government confirms its commitment to concluding the Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) review, provides an update on recent discussions with Devolved Administrations, and details new measures being implemented to enhance transparency, reporting, and parliamentary engagement on IGR.
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Scotland Office
3 Conclusion Second Report - Coronavirus and Scotland Accepted

The evidence we received covering the general role of the Office of the Secretary of...

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 … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government describes the existing activities and engagement of the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland during the pandemic, including advising on agreements and providing information to HMT, arguing that its effective role often takes place quietly.
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Scotland Office
9 Conclusion Second Report - Coronavirus and Scotland Accepted

Scottish exports make a major contribution to the Scottish economy and the risks to those...

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 … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government describes existing and ongoing actions to support Scottish exports, including the launch of a UK Trade Hub in Edinburgh to help businesses grow internationally and progress on new trade agreements.
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Scotland Office
10 Recommendation Second Report - Coronavirus and Scotland Accepted

We recommend that when the UK Government plans for future pandemics it considers all three...

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 … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government states it has long recognized the threat of pandemics and involved Devolved Administrations in past planning, citing the 2011 UK Influenza Preparedness Strategy and their involvement in Exercise Cygnus and the Coronavirus Act. The response focuses on existing coordination and past efforts, without …
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Scotland Office

Oral evidence sessions

10 sessions
Date Witnesses
17 Sep 2020 Gillian McGregor CBE · Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland, Iain Stewart MP · Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland, Rt Hon Alister Jack MP · Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland View ↗
10 Sep 2020 Dr Donald Macaskill · Scottish Care, Theresa Fyffe · Royal College of Nursing Scotland, Wilma Brown · NHS Fife View ↗
3 Sep 2020 Elspeth Macdonald · Scottish Fishermen's Federation, Jimmy Buchan · Scottish Seafood Association, John Anderson · Scottish Fishermen's Organisation View ↗
9 Jul 2020 Colette Cohen · Oil and Gas Technology Company, Deirdre Michie · Oil and Gas UK, Professor John Underhill · Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering View ↗
2 Jul 2020 David Phillips · Institute for Fiscal Studies, Professor Alasdair Smith · Scottish Fiscal Commission View ↗
25 Jun 2020 James Withers · Scotland Food and Drink, Jonnie Hall · National Farmers Union of Scotland, Karen Betts · Food and Drink Federation View ↗
18 Jun 2020 Akash Paun · Institute for Government, Professor David Bell · University of Stirling, Professor Linda Bauld · University of Edinburgh, Professor Nicola McEwen · University of Glasgow View ↗
11 Jun 2020 Jeane Freeman OBE · Scottish Government, Professor Jason Leitch · Scottish Government View ↗
21 May 2020 Dr Gregor Smith, Interim Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, Professor Andrew Morris · Scottish Government’s Covid-19 Advisory Group, Professor Sheila Rowan, Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland View ↗
14 May 2020 Douglas Ross · Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland, Gillian McGregor · Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland, Rt Hon Alister Jack · Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland View ↗

Who gave evidence

29 witnesses
WitnessOrganisationSessions
Akash Paun · Senior Fellow Institute for Government 1
Colette Cohen · CEO Oil and Gas Technology Company 1
David Phillips · Associate Director Institute for Fiscal Studies 1
Deirdre Michie · CEO Oil and Gas UK 1
Douglas Ross · Parliamentary Under-Secretary Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland 1
Dr Donald Macaskill · Chief Executive Scottish Care 1
Dr Gregor Smith, Interim Chief Medical Officer for Scotland — 1
Elspeth Macdonald · Chief Executive Scottish Fishermen's Federation 1
Gillian McGregor · Director Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland 1
Gillian McGregor CBE · Director Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland 1
Iain Stewart MP · Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, (Minister… Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland 1
James Withers · Chief Executive Scotland Food and Drink 1
Jeane Freeman OBE · Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport Scottish Government 1
Jimmy Buchan · Chief Executive Scottish Seafood Association 1
John Anderson · Chief Executive Scottish Fishermen's Organisation 1
Jonnie Hall · Director of Policy National Farmers Union of Scotland 1
Karen Betts · Chief Executive Food and Drink Federation 1
Professor Alasdair Smith · Commissioner Scottish Fiscal Commission 1
Professor Andrew Morris · Independent Chair Scottish Government’s Covid-19 Advisory Group 1
Professor David Bell · Professor University of Stirling 1
Professor Jason Leitch · Clinical Director of Healthcare Quality and Strat… Scottish Government 1
Professor John Underhill · Chair of Exploration Geoscience Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering 1
Professor Linda Bauld · Professor of Public Health University of Edinburgh 1
Professor Nicola McEwen · Professor of Public Policy University of Glasgow 1
Professor Sheila Rowan, Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland — 1
Rt Hon Alister Jack · Secretary of State for Scotland Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland 1
Rt Hon Alister Jack MP · Secretary of State for Scotland Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland 1
Theresa Fyffe · Director Royal College of Nursing Scotland 1
Wilma Brown · Employee Director NHS Fife 1

Correspondence

5 letters
DateDirectionTitle
4 Nov 2020 — Follow-up email from the Royal College of Nursing Scotland, relating to current…
15 Oct 2020 To cttee Letter from Gillian McGregor, Director, Scotland Office, re: Coronavirus and Sc…
8 Oct 2020 — Correspondence with the Secretary of State for Scotland, follow-up to evidence …
22 Jun 2020 To cttee Letter from the interim Chief Medical Officer for Scotland providing additional…
22 Jun 2020 From cttee Letter to the interim Chief Medical Officer for Scotland requesting additional …

Meetings & visits

1 item
DateTypeDetail
16 Jul 2020 Formal meeting (private meeting) — · Virtual meeting