Hansard

The Convener Lab

Agenda item 4 is consideration of further subordinate legislation. We have before us four made affirmative instruments on coronavirus and international trave...

The Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity (Michael Matheson) SNP

Good morning. I made a statement to the chamber on 9 February, in which I set out the Scottish Government’s intention to introduce a comprehensive approach t...

The Convener Lab

Members will have questions, but I want to begin by returning to some of the evidence that we heard last week when we discussed the different approaches acro...

Michael Matheson SNP

Please bear with me, convener—this might be rather a long answer, because I think that it is important to give you the background. When we suspended the tra...

The Convener Lab

In brief, would it be fair to say that your approach is based on the advice of the joint biosecurity centre and of SAGE, and that the UK Government’s decisio...

Michael Matheson SNP

That would be a fair reflection of the situation at the moment.

The Convener Lab

If a red list approach continues to be operated for people travelling to England, what impact will that have on the comprehensive managed isolation programme...

Michael Matheson SNP

Given that the UK Government chose to pursue the red list system, we made representations to it to ask that anyone who enters a port of entry in England and ...

The Convener Lab

In practice, therefore, there are two classes of people who have returned from international travel to Scotland, one of which is people in managed isolation ...

Michael Matheson SNP

There are actually three classes. There are those who arrive directly into airports in Scotland and go into managed isolation, and those who arrive at airpor...

The Convener Lab

That is a helpful clarification. I have another question before I pass over to colleagues. Given that different parts of the world have different quarantine...

Michael Matheson SNP

The 10-day period is based on the clinical advice that we received towards the end of last year that the risk of moving the self-isolation period from 14 day...

David Stewart Lab

I will raise a big-picture issue that I have to confess I have been working on heavily for the past six months, which is about having an internationally reco...

Michael Matheson SNP

I recognise Mr Stewart’s interest in the matter of vaccine passports, which could play an important part in re-establishing international travel. As you righ...

David Stewart Lab

The cabinet secretary has been very open and honest on the subject. My comments generally are not made in a party-political way. I am enthusiastic about the ...

Michael Matheson SNP

I would recognise your frustration if we were not already progressing the issue, but we are. We are already engaging and looking to take forward the matter o...

David Stewart Lab

I turn to my final question, although the cabinet secretary might not have the relevant information to hand. I know from my experience in politics, for what ...

Michael Matheson SNP

I can pick up the specific points that Mr Stewart has raised with the chief executive of NHS Scotland and ask for more specific information. I do not have su...

David Stewart Lab

Thank you.

The Convener Lab

As you said, cabinet secretary, it is impossible to predict where things will be at any point during the coming summer. However, in your view, what circumsta...

Michael Matheson SNP

First, I emphasise that we do not want to have managed isolation in place for any longer than it is needed. The trigger for ministers to start to move away f...

George Adam SNP

Following on from the convener’s question, what are the latest numbers for inward flights to Scotland from red list and non-red list countries? How many peop...

Michael Matheson SNP

At present, there are no direct flights into Scotland from red list countries. Those flights are banned, on the basis that they would be coming from a red li...

George Adam SNP

There is great concern among the public that people could potentially come into Scotland having gone through red list countries at some point. What communica...

Michael Matheson SNP

That is being taken forward in two ways, through my direct representations to the Covid-O committee and my written correspondence with Michael Gove at the Ca...

George Adam SNP

That is all very concerning and worrying. We had representatives of the airports and the hospitality sector before the committee last week. You had to creat...

Michael Matheson SNP

I very much appreciate the concerns that were raised by the aviation sector, and in particular the airports, about the speed at which the policy had to be in...

David Torrance SNP

Good afternoon, cabinet secretary. Why has it been necessary to bring in a series of different regulations on a short timescale? Can you explain how they wil...

Michael Matheson SNP

We have introduced some of the regulations to close down potential anomalies in the system. As I mentioned earlier, individuals who arrive from red list coun...

David Torrance SNP

Can you indicate the degree to which there is now an understanding of the new rules? What is the plan to communicate those rules to the aviation and hospital...