Coronavirus and Scotland

Scottish Affairs Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 12 May 2020 Closed: 1 Feb 2021 Parliament page
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
16 Recommendations
6 Conclusions
2 Reports
10 Oral sessions
5 Letters
11 Events
Activity timeline 20 events
1 Feb
2021
Report published
1 Feb
2021
Report published
4 Nov
2020
Correspondence
22 Oct
2020
Report published
15 Oct
2020
Correspondence
8 Oct
2020
Correspondence
17 Sep
2020
Oral evidence
10 Sep
2020
Oral evidence
3 Sep
2020
Oral evidence
23 Jul
2020
Report published
16 Jul
2020
Formal meeting (private meeting) · Virtual meeting
9 Jul
2020
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 10 sessions
17 Sep 2020
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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
10 Sep 2020
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Dr Donald Macaskill · Scottish Care Theresa Fyffe · Royal College of Nursing Scotland Wilma Brown · NHS Fife
3 Sep 2020
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Elspeth Macdonald · Scottish Fishermen's Federation Jimmy Buchan · Scottish Seafood Association John Anderson · Scottish Fishermen's Organisation
9 Jul 2020
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Colette Cohen · Oil and Gas Technology Company Deirdre Michie · Oil and Gas UK Professor John Underhill · Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering
2 Jul 2020
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David Phillips · Institute for Fiscal Studies Professor Alasdair Smith · Scottish Fiscal Commission
25 Jun 2020
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James Withers · Scotland Food and Drink Jonnie Hall · National Farmers Union of Scotland Karen Betts · Food and Drink Federation
18 Jun 2020
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Akash Paun · Institute for Government Professor David Bell · University of Stirling Professor Linda Bauld · University of Edinburgh Professor Nicola McEwen · University of Glasgow
11 Jun 2020
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Jeane Freeman OBE · Scottish Government Professor Jason Leitch · Scottish Government
21 May 2020
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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
14 May 2020
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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
Recommendations & Conclusions
2 results
Clear
7 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report: Coronavirus and Scot…
Evidence heard on the role of the Office of the Secretary of State for 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 … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledged the Committee's conclusion regarding the Scotland Office's role, stating it is carefully considering the pilot findings and will provide further information in due course.
Scotland Office
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13 Recommendation Acknowledged
First Report: Coronavirus and Scot…
The Government must answer a range of outstanding questions in relation to the Joint Biosecurity...
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 … Read more
Government Response
The government explains the rationale for the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC) operating across the UK and confirms that UK and Scottish Governments agreed on secondary legislation for the JBC to carry out functions in Scotland. However, it does not specifically provide a detailed assessment of the benefits for all four nations, how devolved administrations will contribute in general, or precisely who in the Scottish Government will have the opportunity to do so.
Scotland Office
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Government Response AI assessment · 22 of 16 classified
Accepted 6
Accepted in Part 1
Acknowledged 2
Deferred 6
Not Addressed 6
Rejected 1
Total 16 recs + 6 conclusions
Correspondence 5 letters
4 Nov 2020 Follow-up email from the Royal College of Nursing Scotland, relating to current priorities and calling for a clear timetable for implementation of the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act, 25 September 2020
Parliament page
15 Oct 2020 To committee Letter from Gillian McGregor, Director, Scotland Office, re: Coronavirus and Scotland: Interim Report on Intergovernmental Working, 7-10-20
Parliament page
8 Oct 2020 Correspondence with the Secretary of State for Scotland, follow-up to evidence session of 17 September, 24-09-20 and 5-10-20
Parliament page
22 Jun 2020 To committee Letter from the interim Chief Medical Officer for Scotland providing additional information on Coronavirus and Scottish Care Homes, 16-06-20
Parliament page
22 Jun 2020 From committee Letter to the interim Chief Medical Officer for Scotland requesting additional information in relation to Coronavirus and Scottish Care Homes, 3-06-20
Parliament page