Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

Meeting date: Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Official Report 986KB pdf

Committee Announcement (COVID-19 Recovery Committee)

The next item of business is a committee announcement by Siobhian Brown, convener of the COVID-19 Recovery Committee, on the committee’s upcoming debate on Covid-19—preparing for winter and priorities for recovery.

I wish to inform the chamber that the COVID-19 Recovery Committee will be initiating a debate on Covid-19—preparing for winter and priorities for recovery. The debate will be held on Thursday 2 December. We are keen that as many committees as possible take part.

We feel that the timing is right to hold the debate. The committee has been following the Scottish Government’s response to Covid closely and we are aware that case numbers remain stubbornly high. Scottish ministers and others warn that we face a very challenging winter. Although we are all keen for it to be over, we feel that we cannot take our eyes off the ball.

For that reason, the committee has decided to examine the on-going use of baseline measures to respond to Covid-19. The Scottish Government’s strategic framework, which was updated today, states that the aim of the measures is

“to suppress the virus to a level consistent with alleviating its harms while we recover and rebuild for a better future.”

The committee is keen to highlight the evidence that we have heard on the use of the measures, as we know that Scotland’s on-going response to Covid-19 is an issue that concerns all members. The committee is also keen to hear what work other committees have been doing in relation to Covid-19. We want them to use the debate to highlight the issues that they feel that Parliament should be prioritising for recovery.

The COVID-19 Recovery Committee hopes to turn its focus to recovery in the new year and to add value to the important work that is being led by other committees. I hope that many committees will take part in the debate, and I encourage as many members as possible to get involved.