Seòmar agus comataidhean

I am sorry, minister, but can we stick to toxicology? My question is quite specific: what is being done to speed up toxicology results?

It is an important issue that is raised with me as a constituency MSP, and it is also very important in terms of giving people answers. I will leave it there.

Given your correspondence and contact with the UK Government regarding group members’ anonymity and the inclusion of a Scottish representative, what is the Scottish Government’s plan, going forward?

As members have no further questions, I thank the minister and her officials for their attendance. I suspend the meeting briefly to allow a change of witnesses.

Minister, I have a question about the three-month deadline. You said in your opening statement that there is concern that registrants are leaving registration until almost the six-month deadline and that that is one of the reasons for the proposed change. What measures have been put in place to ensure that people who are going into new employment from 3 June know that there is a three-month deadline and that they do not wait until two and a half months into their employment before making an application?

Will there be any leeway for registrants who start on 3 June if they go beyond that three-month deadline? What is the contingency for that?

As I have had no indication that anyone else has a question, I thank the minister for her evidence.

Agenda item 4 is the formal debate on the instrument. I remind the committee that officials may not speak in the debate. I ask the minister to speak to and move motion S6M-12990.

That concludes the public part of our meeting today.

Good morning and welcome to the 13th meeting in 2024 of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee. I have received no apologies.

The first item on our agenda is to decide whether to take items 5, 7 and 8 in private. Do members agree to do so?

Members indicated agreement.

The second item on our agenda is an evidence session on a legislative consent memorandum for the Victims and Prisoners Bill, which is United Kingdom legislation. I welcome to the committee the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health, Jenni Minto. Her supporting officials are Sam Baker and James How from the Scottish Government’s public health capabilities division and Marie Penman, from the Scottish Government’s legal directorate.

A purpose of the Victims and Prisoners Bill is to require the Secretary of State to establish a body to administer a compensation scheme for victims of the infected blood scandal within three months of passing the bill. Due to time constraints in the passage of the bill at Westminster and the subsequent lodging of the LCM at a late stage, the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee is also considering the LCM at its meeting today, so it will not be possible to include its conclusions in our consideration.

I invite the minister to make a brief opening statement.