Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 09 February 2022
Thank you. That was a welcome intervention from the cabinet secretary.
I put on record my thanks to all those who have helped with the process, particularly the clerks and advisers on the COVID-19 Recovery Committee and those who gave evidence to the committee at stage 1.
As Murdo Fraser pointed out, without the bill, the financial implication for health boards would have been significant—some estimated it to be £380 million in 2021-22—because they have a duty under the Public Health etc (Scotland) Act 2008 to compensate those who have had to quarantine because of an infectious disease. The law was not set up to deal with a global pandemic such as the one that we have been living with over the past two years, as the cabinet secretary highlighted in his opening remarks.
At stage 1, there was concern about the publicity of and access to the self-isolation support grant. We heard in committee of instances in which those who should have been eligible for the grant did not realise that they were eligible. I noted at the time the cabinet secretary’s recognition of that issue, and he suggested that the Scottish Government would look at ways of ensuring that the grant reaches those it is targeted to help.
I also note that the Law Society of Scotland’s request that a statement of reasons be provided by the Scottish Government when it makes regulations under section 3 of the bill was accepted by the cabinet secretary at stage 2.
Jackie Baillie’s late amendment gave us something to consider, although I must say that it is rather unusual for an amendment to be lodged and accepted for consideration at this late stage of the bill when it has not even been discussed and scrutinised at stage 2.