Scotland must appoint ‘Covid response’ minister, says Leonard
Ni cola Sturgeon has been urged to appoint aC ovidresponse minister to oversee the Scottish Government’ s response to the pandemic.
Labour leader Richard Leonard says the new minister, at Cabinet level, would be able to co-ordinate the response across all government departments, including health, social care and education.
It would emulate the former Secretary of State for War role, once seen as one of the great offices of state, and formerly held by Red Clydesider Manny Shinwell.
"There is a compelling need for a single ministerial coordinator with the authority not just to see through Covid policy implementation and messaging, but also to ensure that all government policy and ever y thing the government does is thought out and enacted with Covid in mind,” Mr Leonard states in his The Scotsman column today.
"The First Minister must now appoint a ‘Covid response minister’ to fulfil a similar role to the Secretary of State for War position that existed in UK government structures until the 1960s. A dedicated minister of Cabinet rank could make sure that all government departments, agencies, ministers and their officials are working effectively together to fight Covid.
"The minister would see that all Covid decisions are implemented, including ensuring that all departments as a matter of routine conduct Covid impact assessments.”
Mr Leonard says that having such a minister in place at the star t of the pandemic would have provided a check on “disastrous” policies such as the situation in Scotland's care homes, after it emerged last week that patients were transferred into care homes with the virus.
The Labour leader says that a dedicated Covid minister would also restore “pub - lic confidence” and help with preparedness for any future surges.
He adds: “Having a ‘Covid response minister’ in placewould provide a clear line of accountability to Parliament and make it much harder to avoid scrutiny.”
The First Minister has taken a lead in providing the pub - lic face of Scotland response to the virus, regularly joined by Health Secretary J ea ne Freeman.