Seòmar agus comataidhean

Emma Harper has a short supplementary question.

The second item on our agenda is a session with the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care. The cabinet secretary is accompanied by the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health for this agenda item.

Over the summer recess, using the Your Priorities online platform, the committee invited members of the public to suggest questions that they would like us to ask the cabinet secretary. Today’s session is an opportunity for members to put some of those questions to the cabinet secretary and to ask questions about the 2023-24 programme for government, which was published last week.

I welcome our witnesses from the Scottish Government. Michael Matheson is the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care; Jenni Minto is the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health; Caroline Lamb is the chief executive of NHS Scotland and director general for health and social care; and Christine McLaughlin is the director of population health.

We will move straight to questions. Cabinet secretary, we are all very aware of the current situation regarding Covid-19 and the emerging variants that we are seeing. What data is the Government using to maintain vigilance about Covid-19, given the rise in cases and the new variants of concern?

Thanks, James, but we need to move on.

Sandesh Gulhane wants to come back in.

Good morning, and welcome to the 25th meeting in 2023 of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee. I have received apologies from Stephanie Callaghan, for whom James Dornan MSP will join us as a substitute.

The first item on our agenda is to decide whether to take items 3 to 5 in private.? Do members agree to do so?

Members indicated agreement.

I will stay with Emma Harper for our next theme.

Gillian Mackay has questions in our next theme.

Thank you. I call James Dornan, who has some questions on a similar theme.

Evelyn Tweed has a very brief supplementary question.

I think that John-Paul Loughrey wants to answer the question.