A MINISTERIAL group set up to prepare for protocols for a future pandemic will meet “in the coming weeks”, Scotland’s Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes has said.
The ministerial oversight group (MOG) will be co-chaired by Justice Secretary Angela Constance and Health Secretary Neil Gray and has been tasked with developing a framework to ensure Scotland is prepared for another pandemic.
The group was set up in response to a report from the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, which was published in July following the completion of its first module on preparedness.
Making a statement to Holyrood, Forbes said: “Our newly established ministerial oversight group, co-chaired by my colleagues the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs and the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, will meet for the first time in the coming weeks.”
A report published by the Scottish Government on Thursday at the same time as Forbes’s statement said the group would meet twice a year and will “receive and commission advice from a supporting programme board on matters such as capabilities assessments, resourcing and policy choices about integration with UK and international activities”.
A group of senior officials from within Government has also been established to “lead and coordinate work on preparedness for and resilience to a wide range of civil emergencies”, the report said.
The Deputy First Minister also told MSPs the Scottish Government commits to publishing reports on resilience and preparedness for civil emergencies, including pandemics, every three years.
“Given the importance of transparency around the actions we are taking to manage civil emergencies, we will also report to this Parliament every three years on the improvements we make to emergency resilience and preparedness in Scotland," she said.
“The first report will be laid before this Parliament in September of this year and I look forward to seeing the progress made.”
