Special Holyrood committee to scrutinise COVID-19 laws

MSPs are to be asked to approve a new all-party committee to scrutinise the Scottish Government's response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Next Tuesday's sitting of the Parliament will also consider allowing all Holyrood committees to hold formal meetings online, by changing standing orders.

The new committee would be made up of nine members (four SNP, two Conservative, one Labour, one Green and one Liberal Democrat), with a Conservative convener and Labour deputy convener. It would last for the duration of any emergency legislation.

Its remit would be to consider and report on the Scottish Government’s response to COVID-19, including the operation of powers under the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act, the Coronavirus Act and any other legislation, including secondary legislation made under emergency powers, in relation to the response to COVID-19.

In a letter to MSPs, Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh emphasised the importance of the Parliament continuing to function amidst this public health crisis, "to provide opportunities for members to carry on holding the Government to account and representing their constituents’ views and concerns, while at the same time avoiding putting anyone at undue risk". Exploring and testing new technologies had therefore been a key priority.

Two leaders’ virtual question sessions to the First Minister had now been held, and today more members will have an opportunity to question various Cabinet Secretaries on the Scottish Government’s response to Covid-19.

Mr Macintosh continued: "Building on and learning from our earlier experiences, the Parliamentary Bureau is continuing to look at other options for remote plenary sessions as well as arrangements for meeting safely at Holyrood, including social distancing measures and proxy voting, for when we do need to come together in person. Committees have also been meeting informally online over the past two weeks and there are plans for a number of committees to hold formal meetings virtually from next week to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on key priority areas within their remits."

He added that careful consideration had been given to ensure the new committee complemented rather than overlapped with the work of existing committees, and "we are confident that the remit and structure we are proposing does just that".

The Presiding Officer concluded: "The Parliament, like every area of life, is adapting and responding to a challenging set of circumstances and it is unlikely we will be able to return to our normal routine for some time. However, during this crisis, I am confident that the measures we continue to put in place will ensure the Parliament can function as the place for scrutiny, transparency and Government accountability."