Chamber and committees

To pick up on what you have said, Anjan, your commitment and your passion for the role are clear to us and very much appreciated. You mentioned that, right now, you are working 12 to 15-hour days, which will not be sustainable without burn-out. I remember Gordon saying something similar at the previous meeting, too. I am slightly concerned that people who are putting in so many hours and working seven days a week reach a point at which it becomes easy to make mistakes, regardless of how committed they are. How sustainable is that, and when do you expect it to be a more normal working environment?

This question is for you or Gordon. When do you expect the crisis to be over and for things to settle down?

Thanks, Gordon—that is reassuring. A 50 per cent increase will certainly make a difference. I hope that that will mean that you will start getting more sleep and more leisure time.

What implications does the delay to the development and approval of the action plan have for the overall timetable for addressing the recommendations of the independent review?

Yes.

What measures do you have in place to ensure effective oversight?

No—it is fine.

I want to pick up on your point about supermarket-branded products not following suit. We have a situation in which, for example, the cheapest own-brand cereals are not fortified with nutrients in the same way as some of the leading brands or the more expensive own-brand products are. Has that come up at all in conversation?

It was great to hear Dr Smith talk about how ScotGEM has galvanised the careers of the trainers he spoke to; it also made me think back to Sir Lewis Ritchie’s comments about the success of the rediscover the joy campaign.

We are incredibly lucky in Scotland to live in such a beautiful, amazing country, not least our rural areas, which can be very attractive to students. Could we further develop ScotGEM or extend it to undergraduates, too? What opportunities and challenges would there be in that regard?

Is there anything that you would say to the applicants who feel retraumatised by that process? Can any further steps be taken to offer support in that area?

In response to Stephen Kerr’s question, you touched on the trauma that people go through when writing their statements. We have seen the media coverage—survivors have spoken about the time that it takes and the upset that it causes them to write a fresh statement when they are prevented from using a statement that they have submitted to other inquiries. Can you comment on the reasoning behind their having to write a fresh statement and any steps that can be taken to minimise that retraumatising impact on the applicants?