Chamber and committees

We are, once again, facing the unwelcome reality of a new variant and new restrictions, and every member in the chamber has to understand and accept the frustration and anger that people across Scotland are feeling right now. However, we can get through this. Like the First Minister, I encourage everyone to go out and get their booster jags; I have my own scheduled for Christmas eve.

I also want to speak to a proportion of the population out there. We often focus solely on booster jags, but there are people who have not yet had their first jag, and I encourage them to come forward as well. They have not left it too late. There is no shame in turning up to get your first jag now; the vaccinators simply want to protect you, so please consider doing so. Our vaccination scheme, in Scotland and across the UK, has helped to keep Covid under control, and it remains our best way out of the pandemic.

It is crucial that the Scottish and UK Governments work together constructively, fully focused on omicron. Instead, sadly, over the past week, we have seen an unnecessary funding row that is a distraction from the task at hand. The Scottish Government originally expected £268 million, which would have still been new money, but it has now been provided with £440 million. As the Institute for Fiscal Studies made clear yesterday, that £440 million is extra money now. The Scottish Government has the funding available, and Scottish businesses are crying out for it. Last week, the First Minister said that businesses are

“already bleeding, every 24 hours counts.”

Will the First Minister tell us today when the first grants will start to reach businesses? Will it be before Christmas, or will it be into the new year?

Secondly, in her statement, the First Minister explained that 100 ScotRail services have been cancelled due to staff absences, and there are similar pressures on our emergency services and others. Last week, we raised concerns that self-isolation guidance for household contacts would lead to those challenges. Although well intentioned in seeking to limit the spread of the virus, the rules could grind our transport network, economy and public services to a halt. Given that the evidence now shows the impact of those rules on our essential services, will the First Minister tell us whether she has considered changing them so that household contacts can end self-isolation if they have a negative test, and if she has not, is she confident that that position is sustainable for our economy and public services?

I listened to the First Minister’s statement. She was right to look at what we can do by taking a United Kingdom-wide approach. I will focus today on what we can do in Scotland right now.

Scotland’s vaccination scheme has already delivered a booster to more than half of all over-18s. That is down to everyone in our national health service, our armed forces and all our volunteers. I thank them for making that happen. [Applause.]

However, to get ahead in the race against the new variant, we still need to vaccinate far more people. For weeks, we have been calling for the reintroduction of mass vaccination centres. Nicola Sturgeon repeatedly refused until, on Tuesday, she accepted, and agreed about, the need for them. We have learned today that the Edinburgh International Conference Centre and Hampden park in Glasgow will open as mass vaccination centres; we have been calling for exactly that for weeks. There was no mention of it in the First Minister’s statement, so perhaps she can tell us now how many other new centres will open, where they will be and when they will start vaccinating people.

I am grateful, Presiding Officer, because I am just trying to get some clarity. We also need clarity on something that I want to check. The BBC says that it has it in writing from the Scottish Government that the regulations behind the new protections for retail and hospitality would take effect from one minute past midnight on Saturday, but the First Minister has just said that it is one minute past midnight on Friday. Which is it? That was what the Scottish Government told the BBC on Tuesday. Has that changed? Why has that changed? Surely, with such big changes, the information should come not just in response to a question from the Opposition, but should be put out to businesses straight away, but that has not happened.

The First Minister will also understand that businesses need a measure of good news. This week, she agreed to our demands for emergency cancellation compensation. However, businesses currently do not know when the funds are coming and how much money they will get. This is about people’s jobs—

I am sorry, Presiding Officer. SNP members say that I am shameless, but I am trying to ensure that the money that is made available gets to the businesses that need it. Will the First Minister simply guarantee that businesses will receive that £100 million of support before Christmas?

I have said to the First Minister—I said it in my opening remarks—that it is right to look at what we can do across the United Kingdom, but it is also right that we do what we can in this chamber to scrutinise and try to help the Government. [Interruption.] The First Minister said that the Deputy First Minister accidentally misspoke. Did he also accidentally misspeak when he said to the committee that the guidance was still being written? He was also incorrect about that—

I certainly will not lose sight of the First Minister’s first point. She was right to say that people who get vaccinated today are not immediately protected from the virus. That is why Conservatives have been calling for weeks for the reintroduction of mass vaccination centres. If the Scottish Government had acted when we first called for them—twice after Covid statements in November and at First Minister’s question time two weeks ago—we would be further along the road than we are.

In addition, the new variant has meant necessary changes to guidance, but it is not right that, once again, businesses are still waiting to hear what they need to do to comply with the First Minister’s statement on Tuesday. She was right to say earlier that the situation will have a massive impact on businesses. However, businesses have told us that they heard earlier this week from Scottish Government officials who told them that new rules could come into effect on Saturday. They were then told that it could be Monday, then they were told to prepare for 5 pm on Friday. Remember—that was coming from Scottish Government officials. Can the First Minister give the answer that her officials seem to be unable to give, and tell us when the laws will commence?

Again, I agree with the First Minister: livelihoods are at risk. That is why we need, from the Government, clarity for the businesses that seek it. This morning, the health secretary, Humza Yousaf, who is sitting on one side of the First Minister, was asked when the guidance would be published and he said, that it should be published today.

Sitting on the other side of the First Minister is the Deputy First Minister, who appeared before the Covid-19 Recovery Committee this morning. At that time, he said that the guidance will be published during the course of Friday. The Deputy First Minister, who is also the Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery, also said that the guidance was still being written as he spoke, less than an hour ago. I understand that he has now tweeted an apology—

Answer the question.

The Deputy First Minister is asking me to move on. He has had to apologise and will write to the committee, but businesses are looking to the Government. They are trying to get clarity and they cannot get it from the health secretary, the First Minister or the Deputy First Minister.

Officials have told businesses three different dates on which the law will come into force. The First Minister has now had to confirm the date in the chamber. The men who are sitting on either side of the First Minister have given confusing and inaccurate advice to businesses today. Can the First Minister accept that that is, at the very least, unfortunate, that it is causing confusion and that businesses need clarity if they are to apply the guidance in just over 24 hours?

—and can the First Minister—[Interruption.] We are trying to get some—