Nicola Sturgeon to be quizzed on Government's response to Covid-19, climate change and the cost of living

Nicola Sturgeon is set to be quizzed by a panel of senior MSPs on the Scottish Government’s response to Covid-19, the climate emergency and the cost of living crisis.

The First Minister is due to appear before the Conveners Group at the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday.

Sturgeon was due to appear before the group on December 15, 2021, but the meeting was postponed due to coronavirus restrictions.

It will be the first time since May’s Scottish Parliament elections that the First Minister will take questions from the panel made up of Holyrood committee conveners.

The almost two-hour session is expected put a spotlight on the Scottish Government’s record in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic as well as climate change, following last year’s COP 26 conference in Glasgow.

Other issues which are expected to be explored will include the Scottish Government’s budget and efforts to tackle the attainment gap.

Chaired by the presiding officer or a deputy presiding officer, the First Minister normally appears before the Conveners Group twice a year.

But due to the pandemic she has not appeared before the panel since November 2019.

Recently, the Scottish Government has announced plans to pump more than £62m into replacing almost 300 old diesel buses with new electric models.

The Government has also opened a consultation on plans for a new benefit for unpaid carers called the Scottish Carer’s Assistance and will replace the DWP’s Carer’s Allowance.

This week finance secretary Kate Forbes announced a new economic strategy that will aim to deliver growth over the next ten years that “significantly outperforms the last decade”.