Issues being investigated under Term of Reference 2(a)

ToR 2(a) requires the Inquiry to investigate the strategic elements of the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland relating to: 

“pandemic planning and exercises carried out by the Scottish Government”.

In relation to ToR 2(a) the Inquiry will examine:

1. Pre-pandemic plans and exercises, including: nature of plans in place; lessons learned as a result of various pre-pandemic planning exercises; whether best practice outside Scotland and the UK was taken into consideration in planning; the extent to which planning for a pandemic considered the possibility of there being a coronavirus pandemic and tailored plans to that type of virus; whether there were plans for particular methods of outbreak management, including monitoring and suppression; whether there were plans in relation to vaccination; whether there were plans in relation to personal protective equipment (PPE); the extent to which consideration was given to the consequences of morbidity as well as mortality; whether planning took account of regional variations and resourcing; and planning in relation to communication and transparency with the public.
2. Review and implementation of plans, including: the extent to which any recommendations arising from planning exercises were implemented by, or on behalf of, the Scottish Government; the programme for reviewing and updating plans; and whether the existing legislative framework for dealing with civil and health emergencies was reviewed in light of the development of medical knowledge regarding infectious diseases.
3. Communication, collaboration and consultation in planning, including: information sharing between various groups; the extent to which recommendations from these groups, or other sources, were acted upon by the Scottish Government; the extent of Scottish Government engagement with regional resilience partnerships and other agencies with relevant expertise; and the extent of involvement of representatives from relevant sectors in planning in relation to impacts of a pandemic on those sectors.
4. Planning for impacts, including: the extent to which planning considered the impacts on society, economy, education, health and social care; the extent to which the impacts on those with long-term illness were taken into account in planning; and the extent to which the impacts of a pandemic on vulnerable groups and pre-existing inequalities were considered.