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
6 results
Clear
4 Recommendation Deferred
First Report: Coronavirus and Scot…
Looking to the future, Ministers must outline, in response to this report, their plans for...
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 … Read more
Government Response
The government deferred a response to the detailed recommendations on devolved nation representation and staffing of COVID-19 Cabinet Committees, stating it would be premature and that these would be considered during an independent inquiry. It also mentioned that preparedness for future emergencies in Scotland is primarily a devolved matter.
Scotland Office
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6 Recommendation Deferred
First Report: Coronavirus and Scot…
We also recommend that the Government explain to us how it will incorporate concerns about...
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 government states that a response explaining how it will incorporate concerns about IGR structures into its ongoing review will be produced in the coming weeks.
Scotland Office
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4 Recommendation Deferred
Second Report - Coronavirus and Sc…
We recommend that the lessons learned from Exercise Cygnus in relation to intergovernmental working, specifically...
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 … Read more
Government Response
The government states that lessons from Exercise Cygnus regarding intergovernmental working have already been implemented. It defers responding to the specific recommendations for the COVID-19 public inquiry's terms of reference, including a Scotland-focused section on intergovernmental relations, until the appropriate time.
Scotland Office
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6 Recommendation Deferred
Second Report - Coronavirus and Sc…
The Government response to our predecessor Committee’s report on Immigration and Scotland is now more...
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 … Read more
Government Response
The government states the overdue response will be produced "in the coming weeks," implicitly deferring the specific deadline of "no later than the end of 2020."
Scotland Office
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7 Recommendation Deferred
Second Report - Coronavirus and Sc…
The Seasonal Workers Pilot Scheme is vital for the Scottish food sector, the pandemic highlighted...
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 … Read more
Government Response
The government is carefully considering the pilot's findings and will provide further information in due course, without committing to an increase in numbers for the Seasonal Workers Pilot Scheme.
Scotland Office
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8 Recommendation Deferred
Second Report - Coronavirus and Sc…
We acknowledge there are staffing issues for the health and social care sector and that...
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 … Read more
Government Response
The UK government is deferring immediate acceptance of the recommendation to include all key health and social care workers on the Shortage Occupation List for Scotland, stating it will scrutinise them for consideration in 2021. It supports the recommendation for the Scottish Government to encourage more migrants to Scotland, noting the SG has the levers for this.
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