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COVID-19 Recovery Committee
Meeting date: 7 October 2021
Murdo Fraser
Thanks for that comprehensive answer. The one issue on which you did not touch is whether there is any difference in those figures in any other parts of the UK. I am interested in whether you have any data on that. Are you aware of any difference?
COVID-19 Recovery Committee
Meeting date: 30 September 2021
Murdo Fraser
Thank you for that.
In evidence this morning, we heard from Professor Dye and others that the backfire effects might be minimised if the vaccination certification provisions were time limited. If people could see an end point, that could remove the potential distrust among vaccine-hesitant groups. Is that something that the Scottish Government has considered?
COVID-19 Recovery Committee
Meeting date: 30 September 2021
Murdo Fraser
Do I have time for one more question, convener?
COVID-19 Recovery Committee
Meeting date: 30 September 2021
Murdo Fraser
Thank you.
Yesterday, in the Court of Session, James Mure appeared for the Scottish Government. According to reporting by the BBC’s Philip Sim, who is an excellent court reporter, Mr Mure told the court:
“there is ample time for the government’s evidence paper ... to be considered by all parties before the vaccine passport scheme is actually ‘enforced’, on 18 October, rather than when the regulations come into force on Friday”,
which is tomorrow. I do not understand what that comment is supposed to mean, because the regulations have been made and come into force tomorrow. Did he intend to mean that the Scottish Government might review the matter before 18 October or withdraw the regulations? What did he mean?
COVID-19 Recovery Committee
Meeting date: 30 September 2021
Murdo Fraser
I have a lot more questions that I would like to ask, but I am afraid that we do not have time.
COVID-19 Recovery Committee
Meeting date: 30 September 2021
Murdo Fraser
I will try to be brief. I have some specific questions about the terms of the regulations. I will ask one and see how we get on.
There is a new power of entry contained in regulation 16A of the draft instrument that we saw yesterday afternoon, which gives power to enter a property without warrant where permission to enter is refused, to ensure that an offence is not committed under the regulations. That power can be exercised by a police officer or a local authority officer. How does the Scottish Government foresee those regulations being enforced? For example, do you see there being a role for the police in that regard?
COVID-19 Recovery Committee
Meeting date: 30 September 2021
Murdo Fraser
There is much more that I could ask, but I think that we are out of time.
COVID-19 Recovery Committee
Meeting date: 30 September 2021
Murdo Fraser
Thank you. In view of the time, I will leave it at that.
COVID-19 Recovery Committee
Meeting date: 30 September 2021
Murdo Fraser
I have one more question about the draft regulations. There is a provision in new regulation 7E that sets out the list of exempt events. Subparagraph (c) of regulation 7E exempts
“an event designated by the Scottish Ministers as a flagship event according to criteria, and in a list, published by the Scottish Ministers”.
That gives a very wide power to the Scottish ministers. We have no definition of what “a flagship event” is. Will you explain what is envisaged there? What would fall under that list?
COVID-19 Recovery Committee
Meeting date: 30 September 2021
Murdo Fraser
Thank you, convener, and apologies for my late arrival, which was due to a train being cancelled.
Picking up on Professor Drury’s interesting comments about backfire effects, I think that one would have expected the introduction of vaccination passports to encourage take-up of vaccinations, but your argument is that, according to some evidence, it might be having the opposite effect on some groups. That seems counterintuitive, and it would be worth exploring that further with Professor Drury and the other panellists.
I have two questions that might help to form the discussion. First, would it assist with the groups that you mentioned if the vaccination passport had an end date? Would that make any difference? Secondly, as an alternative exclusively to vaccination passports, would it make a difference if, as has happened in other countries, there were an alternative to testing at venues? For example, people could either be double vaccinated or produce negative test results.
Perhaps we could start with Professor Drury.