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My understanding is that quite a few countries have used vaccination certificates already, so I presume that we can learn from them. For example, I understand that Greece announced its scheme on 28 May and that there was a big uptake of vaccinations in June before the certificates came into operation in July. I do not know whether you saw the previous evidence session; in it, Mr Doncaster argued that we should be more like France, where vaccination certificates are required for entry everywhere, so that the scheme would be simple and understood by everyone. What have we learned from other countries’ experiences?

As an extension to that point, if hospital numbers were to fall dramatically over the next fortnight, would we just forget about certificates?

Previous witnesses talked about the expense of apps and checking people as they go into venues. My experience—I think that people know this—as a Clyde Football Club supporter, is that my season ticket is on an app that is checked when I walk in. There is no problem—the staff use their own phones for doing that, and there does not seem to be an issue. What is your response to the point about the cost to businesses?

On exemptions, a constituent of mine has a range of health problems but, as I understand it, her general practitioner and clinicians have not yet decided whether it is wise for her to get the vaccine. That is a purely medical decision, but where does that leave her? Do we press the clinicians to make the decision, or will she just be restricted in where she can go?

I still wonder whether you are slightly overstating the case. Lots of the restaurants that I go to throw out all the younger kids at a certain time—9 or 10 o’clock—so such things can be done.

One of Mr Doncaster’s arguments was that people at football matches are mainly outdoors, so certification should not be needed. Do you accept that we are now going to have such a system? I presume that most people have to use public transport to get to football stadiums, and there is a fair bit of space inside stadiums where people eat, go to the toilet and so on.

Might that suggest that we should try to get a different relationship, so that we do not compete so much with those areas?

I will press you on that and will use a different example. Income tax in this country is horribly complicated and the intention has been to make it fairer, so we have many little exceptions, reliefs and all the rest of it. Was it intended that the fiscal framework would make arrangements fair, which is why we are linked to this and to that? We have ended up with something that we struggle to understand and which the public probably do not have much chance with.

I am up for that. Does Mr Eiser want to respond? I am sorry not to have given you a chance yet.

Does COSLA or CIPFA have any comments on that?

I will build on what Liz Smith and Daniel Johnson said about the fiscal framework. Is there a fundamental problem? The point has been made that we compare ourselves with the rest of the UK and, if we cannot grow as fast as the rest of the UK, we are disadvantaged. The rest of the UK is dominated by London and the south-east. The figures seem to show that we can compete well with the midlands, the north-west and any other part of the UK, such as Wales or Northern Ireland, but that we struggle to compete with London and the south-east. Is that a fundamental problem that we need to tackle?