Contents
- Attendance
- Social Care
- Subordinate Legislation
Subordinate Legislation
Health Protection (Coronavirus) (International Travel) (Scotland) Amendment (No 15) Regulations 2020 (SSI 2020/288)
Health Protection (Coronavirus) (International Travel) (Scotland) Amendment (No 16) Regulations 2020 (SSI 2020/301)
The second item on the agenda is subordinate legislation, and consideration of two affirmative instruments. As in previous weeks, the regulations relate to coronavirus and international travel, and have been laid under section 94(1) of the Public Health etc (Scotland) Act 2008. They have already come into force. When regulations are introduced urgently, ministers have 28 days to bring them to Parliament in order for them to remain in force. It is for the Health and Sport Committee to consider the instruments and to report to Parliament accordingly.
I welcome, from the Scottish Government, Humza Yousaf, who is the Cabinet Secretary for Justice; Jamie MacDougall, who is the deputy director of the test and protect portfolio; Anita Popplestone, who is the head of police complaints and scrutiny; and Robert Mitchell, who is senior policy officer in the population and migration division.
Committee members would like to consider the instruments together, if that works for the cabinet secretary. When we reach the correct point, I will invite him to move the motions on the instruments jointly.
We will take questions from members in a moment. Cabinet secretary—could you start by recalling the update that you gave us on sharing of data at our last meeting, and further updating us on that, as it relates to travellers who are entering Scotland?
Good morning, convener. I hope that you and all the other committee members are keeping safe and well.
I will give you an update. When I was asked about the matter the last time I appeared before the committee, I apologised because we had been unable to meet the previous deadline that I had set. I can inform the committee that in tomorrow’s published statistics—they come out weekly from Public Health Scotland—the data referring to the number of positive cases that have been linked to international travel will be included. I have all fingers and toes crossed that they will be in tomorrow’s data set.
That is good to hear. I have a question from Brian Whittle. I remind other members that if they have questions for the cabinet secretary or his officials they should put “R” in the chat box now.
The cabinet secretary will be aware that a little bit of concern has been expressed about checking that people who are travelling from international destinations and who should be quarantined are not quarantining, and that the checks on them are not up to the level that you had expressed. Are we ensuring that at least 20 per cent of people who are coming into the country are being checked? Can you give us an update on what impact international travel has had on current levels of Covid, which are on the rise?
I thank Brian Whittle for his question, which I will answer in a few parts. If you think that I have left anything out, please come back to me.
The latest statistics are published by Public Health Scotland weekly, so the member will have the information on the most recent week, which runs to 27 September. Of people who entered the country, 1,291 were contacted out of the 11,217 who were required to quarantine. That figure of 1,291 is far higher than the 450 figure that I referenced previously, and I am pleased about that.
The member will also know from correspondence that I have sent and from my verbal updates that we were recruiting 25 additional contact tracers. I am pleased to say that they have been recruited. The intention is that 2,000 people will be contacted each week. Progress is being made, and next week’s statistics will be the test of whether we get to, or close to, 2,000. I hope that we do.
It goes without saying that the caveat is that, as the number of positive cases unfortunately rises in Scotland, there might be times—as, I am sure, the committee understands—when contract tracers have to be put on to contacting people who are symptomatic and who might test positive for Covid. However, as far as possible, the 25 people whom we have recruited will be ring fenced for contacting people who need to quarantine. I hope, therefore, that we will get up to that 2,000 mark in next week’s statistics.
On the follow-up, to give Brian Whittle some more reassurance I say that Police Scotland’s latest published figures again show that all 181 referrals were followed up. Eighty-six were followed up by the central team, which is known as the C3 resolution team, and 95 were investigated by local teams. I hope that that gives Brian Whittle some confidence. If he has more questions, I will be happy to answer them.
I will follow up on an issue that was raised the last time you attended committee. Are people who are arriving in Scotland at our airports and sea ports being encouraged to download the Protect Scotland app? Can you provide a wee update on that, and is it happening?
The short answer is yes, people are being encouraged and the app is being advertised. I hope that the messaging has been quite clear that people should download the app, regardless of whether they are in the country for a holiday, for business or another reason.
I know that Emma Harper has a particular interest in ferry ports. Again, regardless of whether people are entering via—[Inaudible.]—or through airports, the message should be the same: people should download the Protect Scotland app. We are communicating that message regularly, and have done some marketing alongside that.
Thank you. Emma—does that answer your question?
It does, thank you.
Excellent. There are no more questions from members.
Are members content that we take motions S5M-22792 and S5M-22855 together? No one disagrees.
I remind members that they cannot now put questions to the cabinet secretary; this is simply the formal debate. Given experience, it might have been quite a brief debate.
We move to the next stage in the process. I invite the cabinet secretary to speak to and move motions S5M-22792 and S5M-22855, in his name.
As was the case previously, convener, I am happy to proceed without opening remarks, given that we have had an opportunity for questions and answers, and the committee is well versed in why the regulations have been introduced.
I move,
That the Health and Sport Committee recommends that HS/S5/20/26/M The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (International Travel) (Scotland) Amendment (No. 15) Regulations 2020 (SSI 2020/288) be approved.
That the Health and Sport Committee recommends that The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (International Travel) (Scotland) Amendment (No. 16) Regulations 2020 (SSI 2020/301) be approved.
Motions agreed to.
That concludes that item of business. I thank the cabinet secretary and his officials for their attendance.
11:44The meeting continued in private until 12:01.
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