On 17 March 2022, the Auditor General for Scotland published the briefing Scotland's economy: Supporting businesses through the Covid-19 pandemic.
The briefing says:
"Scotland’s economic output and performance during the Covid-19 pandemic mirrored changing public health restrictions, with some sectors and industries more affected than others. This led to unequal impacts on different regions, parts of the workforce and sectors of the economy."
Read the briefing on Audit Scotland's website
On 16 June 2022, the Auditor General for Scotland published the report Scotland's financial response to Covid-19.
The report says:
"The Scottish Government worked collaboratively and at pace with local and UK government to direct significant public spending in difficult circumstances. It is critical that lessons are learned about what worked well, and what did not to improve the public sector response to any future crises."
Read the report on Audit Scotland's website
The Committee agreed to consider both the briefing and report together.
Information about the Public Audit Committee's consideration of the briefing and report can be found below.
23 June 2022
The Committee took evidence from:
Stephen Boyle, the Auditor General for Scotland; Richard Robinson, Senior Manager; Ashleigh Madjitey, Audit Manager; and Martin McLauchlan, Audit Manager, Performance Audit and Best Value, Audit Scotland.
Read the agenda and meeting papers, 23 June 2022
Please read the Official Report, 23 June 2022
Read the meeting minutes, 23 June 2022
Decision: The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government on issues raised during the meeting.
Decision: The Committee agreed at its meeting on 23 March 2023 to close its scrutiny of both the reports.