Chamber and committees

I should probably have noted that my eldest is a secondary school teacher and that my youngest, during Covid, moved on from primary 7 and is now in S2, which you mentioned. Would anybody else on the panel like to comment on the issue?

My experience is quite limited—the only thing that I really see is the athletics track. The organisers have adapted by opening a gate, we are checked in externally and we no longer go through the main building. It is like a Special Air Service operation—it is quite remarkable. What would be the impact on such leisure facilities, libraries—which you mentioned—and so on—if the Covid passport is expanded into those areas?

I am minded that this committee is called the COVID-19 Recovery Committee. We are trying to look ahead at how we get out of this crisis, so I want to return to the statistic that Murdo Fraser raised, which was that there have been 20 per cent more deaths than expected that are now no longer explained by Covid. I want to ask about the impact that that will have down the line. The example that I want to use is musculoskeletal conditions and chronic pain. We know that, for example, having a knee or hip replacement significantly improves the health and wellbeing of an individual and negates the need for continued medical attention for that issue. Deterioration in mental health and so on and increased mortality rates are associated with not treating those kinds of condition.

We have heard about cancer as well. Peter Donnelly said this morning that we are not collecting data on things such as cancer stage shift when it is first being diagnosed, and some diseases are being underinvestigated and undertreated. I completely understand that there is a balancing act here for the Government in focusing on Covid as opposed to other conditions, but there is pressure on the health service. Are we storing up future pressures on our health service and creating another crisis that will inevitably come down the track?

To clarify, Peter Donnelly is asking for data on cancer stage shift.

I will come to Kirsty Cumming first. Community leisure is a particular interest of mine. How do you feel that the leisure industry has managed to adapt through the pandemic? How has it fared? My experience is that it has been extremely good at delivering a safe environment.

Gavin Stevenson, do you have anything to add to that?

Thank you. I will follow-up Murdo Fraser’s questioning about the expansion of the vaccination passport and what that might mean. I think that we all recognise that we must take measures to restrict Covid spreading. You are obviously against vaccination passports and their expansion. Barry McCulloch, what do you feel should happen? What are your alternative options to that?

I will give Leon Thompson the opportunity to respond, if he has anything to add.

I have a quick question around the timing. We are coming into a period when hospitality gets a fair proportion of their annual income and introducing more stringent controls during this time would have an impact on that. You need time to plan with staff, order supplies and work out rotas and so on. How quickly can you pivot under those circumstances?

Given that you have pushed back, cabinet secretary, you will not be surprised that I am going to push back against you. Peter Donnelly has raised the issue of there being 20 per cent more deaths than expected, which is unexplained. That is concerning. I am looking at statistics that say that the number of patients who are waiting to be seen for eight key diagnostic tests is 30 per cent higher than the 12-month average back in 2019-20. I totally recognise the need for the Government to balance, but I am starting to question whether we are getting that balance right. As Peter Donnelly said, diseases are being underinvestigated and undertreated and the data is not being collected. Is there potential for the Government to start collecting more data on that, because there is a crisis coming down the road at some point?