This report sets out the COVID-19 Recovery Committee's consideration of a Scottish Statutory Instrument (SSI) at its meeting on 24 February 2022. The minutes of the meeting have been published on the Committee's webpages. The Official Report of the meeting will be published on the Committee's webpages in due course.

The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Amendment (No. 4) Regulations 2022 [Draft] were laid on 9 February 2022. The instrument was made in exercise of the power conferred by paragraph 1(1) of schedule 19 of the Act. The instrument is subject to the affirmative procedure. This means that the parliament would ordinarily have 40 days to scrutinise the regulations. The Scottish Government is seeking an expedited timescale for these regulations as it wishes these regulations to come into force 28 February 2022.

The policy note states that—

These Regulations amend the date on which the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 (“the Principal Regulations”) expire from 28 February 2022 to 24 September 2022.

The Delegated Powers and Law Reform (DPLR) Committee considered the instrument at its meeting on 22 February 2022. The DPLR Committee agreed (by division: For 3 (Bill Kidd MSP, Stuart McMillan MSP and Paul Sweeney MSP), Against 2 (Craig Hoy MSP and Graham Simpson MSP) and Abstentions 0) that it was content with the Regulations.

At the COVID-19 Recovery Committee's meeting on 24 February 2022, the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for COVID Recovery, John Swinney, moved the following motion in his name—

S6M-03168—That the COVID-19 Recovery Committee recommends that the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Amendment (No. 4) Regulations 2022 [draft] be approved.