Covid in Scotland: Emergency powers could be in place until next year
- Published
Emergency powers for tackling the Covid pandemic could be extended to the autumn of next year under plans drawn up by the Scottish government.
The temporary powers were originally introduced in the spring of last year, but are due to expire in September.
The government is to introduce a new bill which would effectively extend this deadline until next March.
It would also give parliament the option of agreeing to a further extension until 30 September 2022.
Coronavirus Recovery Secretary John Swinney said the extension of the powers was needed because of the ongoing health threat posed by Covid.
He also said any emergency provisions which were no longer required would be allowed to expire, and stressed that all of the powers that remain will have been previously approved by parliament.
But the Scottish Conservatives have questioned why such a lengthy extension is needed when the vaccination programme has been so successful.
They have also have accused the government of attempting to "railroad" the extension through parliament ahead of the summer recess, which they said would not allow enough time for proper scrutiny of the proposals.
In a statement to MSPs, Mr Swinney said the two pieces of Scottish emergency powers legislation that were passed by parliament last year contained "extraordinary measures which were required to respond to an emergency situation".
These included major changes to how the court system operates, as well as provisions to keep businesses and public services running during the pandemic and temporary changes to the law for tenants and debtors.
Mr Swinney said any emergency provisions that are no longer needed will be allowed to expire
Mr Swinney said it was now clear that some of these provisions "will be required after the current expiry date of 30 September this year in order to respond to the ongoing threat to public health in Scotland posed by Covid".
A Coronavirus Extension and Expiry Bill will therefore be introduced to parliament later this month to "ensure that public services are able to discharge their functions", he added.
Mr Swinney said the bill would extend the emergency legislation for a six-month period, which would take it up to 31 March next year.
The Scottish Parliament would be given the power to the extend the legislation by a further six months - taking it up to 30 September 2022 - if it was felt to be necessary.
The government will aim to pass the new legislation before Holryood takes a break for the summer recess at the end of this month.
Responding to the announcement, Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser said it was hard to see a justification for such a lengthy extension to the "extraordinary and unprecedented powers" - particularly given the success of the vaccination programme.
He added: "Even more worrying is the timetable for this proposed bill.
"The Scottish government are trying to railroad through this new law, with its extension of extraordinary powers, through parliament in two weeks' time before the summer recess"
Mr Fraser said this meant there would be "no time for detailed consultation", and that the extension would be granted more than three months before the current power are set to expire.
He asked: "Why can't this wait until early September, by which time we will be much clearer as to the Covid situation going into the autumn, and whether the powers are still necessary?"
The Scottish Liberal Democrats have also expressed concern about the timetable for the new bill, and said parliament should be given adequate time to scrutinise the proposals after the summer break instead of rushing it through.
