Government criticised for statistics ‘blunders’
The Scottish Government has been criticised over a “series of blunders” amid calls for an investigation into official statistics.
Both Labour and the Conservatives have raised concerns about accuracy in the wake of care home figures having to be corrected.
Due to an “administrative error”, the Scottish Government suggested just 17 tests of care home staff had taken place in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, the country’s largest health board area.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also told MSPS that approximately 11,000 care home workers had been tested for Covid-19 as part of the Scottish Government’s plan for routine testing of staff but the official figures later revealed that number to be 18,000.
Asked about the incorrect information at Thursday’s coronavirus briefing, Ms Sturgeon said: “I gave an underestimate in Parliament yesterday.
“I think if I’d given an overestimate the criticism might be bit more valid but I actually underestimated how many tests have been done because there was an administrative error in the figure from Greater Glasgow and Clyde, which was corrected last night.”
She added: “We will publish this data every week so you will be able to assess the changes week-on-week and that is what will be used for myself and the Health Secretary to scrutinise the progress that is being made but it will also allow both the media and the wider public to go and look at this data to see the progress that is being made.
“So there’s complete transparency around this information as I think people have a right to expect.”
Monica Lennon, Scottish Labour’s health spokeswoman, revealed she has since written to the UK Statistical Authority asking for a review of Scottish Government publications.
Ms Lennon said: “A series of blunders by the Scottish Government during this crisis is worrying and ministers cannot be left to mark their own work.
“Nicola Sturgeon has stressed her ministers are working hard and sometimes trip up due to tiredness, however, mistakes and muddles are piling up and cannot be ignored. Public safety is at stake and we all need to be confident that the Scottish Government is being open and accurate at all times.”
Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw said he has also written to Ms Sturgeon, urging her to correct the statistics in the official record and calling for the care home testing figures to be released before First Minister’s Questions on a Wednesday to allow for greater scrutiny from opposition MSPS.
Mr Carlaw said: “These figures are of the utmost importance because they reveal what progress is being made in testing care home staff.
“That is where the main fight against coronavirus is taking place, and the accuracy of data has never been more vital. This week we saw the shambolic approach of the SNP Government which led to Nicola Sturgeon blurting out the wrong figure in Parliament, then her own publication getting the numbers massively wrong.
“That can’t happen again. The record must be corrected and this SNP Government needs to up its game.”