Chamber and committees

Lastly, I move on to the issue of monitoring public health risks. Section 1 inserts new section 86H into the Public Health etc (Scotland) Act 2008, which will allow the Scottish ministers to confer on bodies and persons functions in relation to the monitoring of public health risks. Will the cabinet secretary explain how he expects those powers to be used? Will the provisions support on-going preparedness for future public health threats? If so, what types of health threats could be detected by those measures?

That concludes our consideration of this agenda item. I thank the Deputy First Minister and his officials for their evidence.

Good morning and welcome to the 11th meeting in 2022 of the COVID-19 Recovery Committee. This morning, we will take evidence on the Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) (Scotland) Bill at stage 1.

I welcome to the meeting John Swinney, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery, and from the Scottish Government: Professor Jason Leitch, national clinical director; Greig Walker, bill team leader; Nicola Guild, solicitor; Laura McGlynn, head of health protection and screening; and Simon Stockwell, head of the family law unit. Thank you all for attending this morning.

Deputy First Minister, would you like to make any remarks before we move to questions?

We seem to have lost the connection to Douglas Hendry.

I have a quick question, going back to a point that my colleagues Alex Rowley and Brian Whittle raised, regarding digital exclusion and community support for people who do not have access to the internet for filling in forms. You mentioned Renfrewshire, David. It was interesting to note that

“The Digital Champion Co-ordinator will be crucial in ‘building a digital ecosystem’ for Renfrewshire.”

Has that been put in place in Renfrewshire?

I put the same question to David McNeill.

David McNeill, do you have any guidance for local authorities and other public bodies on countering digital exclusion as we move towards digital delivery?

We have a technical issue.

Thank you for those answers.

I want to bring in the other witnesses with my next question, which is on the connecting Scotland programme, the joint digital strategy between the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities that seeks to ensure that nobody is left behind and that people have access to the internet.

Let me give you an example. Several months ago, a constituent got in touch with me about digital exclusion. Unfortunately, she suffered a stroke seven years ago and is now registered blind. She likes to be self-reliant and pays privately for care, but she was becoming increasingly frustrated by being told to do everything online. When she wanted to do some shopping, when she tried to phone the council or when she wanted to book something, she was told to do it online instead, but, when she got in touch with me, she had no access to a computer or the internet. We have since been able to get her a talking laptop.

How do we ensure that people such as my constituent, who might not be on the radar of the council or social services, are not excluded and left behind? What can local authorities and other public bodies do to counter digital exclusion in the move to digital delivery? Are the affected bodies organised in the best way to achieve that, and do they have the necessary capacity and skills?

I know that that is a lot of questions in one. I will bring in Mairi Millar first.

We have lost you. We have a bit of a technical issue.