Chamber and committees

Absolutely—that is a valid point.

Okay. We will have the Deputy First Minister with us on 29 September, so members can raise the matter then if they feel that we need to take evidence on the regulations.

Do members agree that we are content and have no recommendation to make on the regulations?

Members indicated agreement.

We have just enough time for a very brief question from Brian Whittle.

Welcome, everybody. We turn to questions. I will ask the first one. What particular areas of Covid-19 spend would you prioritise at the moment? We will start with Dr Phin.

We have a large panel this morning. Does anybody want to add to that?

Thank you very much. I am conscious of the time; we have gone slightly over. That concludes our consideration of the agenda item and our time with the minister. I thank the minister and her supporting officials for their attendance this morning. I briefly suspend the meeting to allow the witnesses to leave.

Thank you very much, minister. I will turn to questions. We have about eight minutes each, this morning, so we will have to keep that in mind.

I come to where we are at the moment. We are aware that there are rising numbers: maybe one in 20 people in Scotland currently has Covid. Are there concerns about the latest spike and that it has happened early in the summer, which I do not think anyone was expecting? How is pressure on the NHS currently? I do not know whether that is for Professor Leitch or the minister.

Thank you. My husband and my six-year-old currently have Covid. I have to say that I tested my six-year-old at the weekend only because my husband was so bad. She was feeling totally fine, but she tested positive so I had to keep her off school. I was a bit confused about whether she should go to school or not go to school. After the restrictions of the past two years, we are now in territory where, with rising numbers, there has to be guidance that is quite clear, as it evolves.

That is brilliant. Thank you. This inquiry is primarily about misinformation and disinformation. I will distinguish between the two: misinformation is consumed and spread inadvertently and disinformation is in some way deliberate. I know that some countries are recognising that tackling what happens in online media and in fake news has become a new warfare. For example, back in 2019 Finland appointed a Government ambassador, with the specific role of protecting against attacks on social cohesion and public trust. Does the Scottish Government think that an independent fact-checking service, as has been suggested by the Royal Society of Edinburgh, should be established in Scotland?

We will have to move on to John Mason—sorry, but time is moving on.