Chamber and committees

Thank you. We agree not to make any recommendations on the instrument. That concludes our consideration of the item.

This is our last meeting before the summer recess. The committee’s next meeting will be on Thursday 8 September 2022. That concludes the public part of our meeting.

Good morning and welcome to the 18th meeting in 2022 of the COVID-19 Recovery Committee. This morning, we will conclude our evidence taking on the inquiry into communication of public health information on Covid-19. I welcome to the meeting Maree Todd, the Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport; Professor Jason Leitch, the national clinical director; Professor Linda Bauld, the chief social policy adviser; and Dr Audrey MacDougall, who is the chief social researcher. Welcome, everybody. Minister, would you like to make short opening remarks before we move to questions?

Are members, therefore, content to agree that we have no recommendations to make on the instrument?

Members indicated agreement.

Thank you very much.

The second agenda item is subordinate legislation—consideration of the negative instrument that is listed on the agenda. No motion to annul the instrument has been lodged. Does any member have comments to make on the instrument?

Members indicated disagreement.

That is great. Thank you. We will now move to questions.

Some of the concerns that are raised in the written submissions by Dr Witcher and the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland in relation to clinically vulnerable people. I think that it is concerning that, after what we have all faced over the past two years, the clinically vulnerable groups, who have valid fears of Covid infection now feel that they could be faced with hostility from the general public in some places. I was alarmed by what I read about that.

Dr Witcher, in your view, what would an inclusive new normal look like?

I totally agree. As you said, for the past two years or so, there has been no guidebook anywhere across the world on how to deal with the pandemic or how we emerge into the new normal. It is interesting that you mention Belgium, because I think that we can learn a lot from how countries across the world are dealing with issues and emerging from Covid. As I said, there is no guidebook and there are lots of lessons to be learned. Are there any other countries that you feel are a bit more progressive that we could learn from and that are getting it right as they emerge from Covid?

Thank you—that is really helpful. We move to questions from Murdo Fraser.

I think that all members would agree that the meeting has been really insightful and informative. I thank all the witnesses for their evidence and for giving us their time. If you would like to raise any further evidence with the committee, you can do so in writing; the clerks will be happy to liaise with you about how to do that.

At our next meeting, which will be on 30 June, we will take evidence from the Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport on the inquiry into Covid-19 and the communication of public health information. We will also consider a negative instrument.

That concludes the public part of the meeting.

That is really interesting. I will open up the discussion and ask the other witnesses for their views on how the needs of high-risk individuals can be better communicated to the general public as we go on to the next stage of Covid.