Scottish Government Covid-19 Recovery Committee to be 'wound up' after legacy report

Holyrood’s Covid-19 Recovery Committee is to be wound up, as its convener praised the “important role” it has played since being formed.

The committee was created in 2021 to monitor the response of the Scottish Government and Holyrood to the pandemic.

MSPs on the panel met for the final time last week, with the committee due to officially wind up next week following a decision in Parliament.

A legacy report published by the committee recommends the response to long Covid, the recovery of NHS dentistry and cancer services, and the fate of public transport continues to be scrutinised by other Holyrood committees.

In a statement, convener Jim Fairlie said: “Since the committee was established in 2021, it’s played an important role in monitoring and scrutinising the Scottish Government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and tracking recovery in a range of policy areas.

“We’ve carried out several high-profile inquiries into the impact of the pandemic on Scotland’s labour market, how future public health messaging campaigns could be improved, made recommendations on long Covid, and considered how Scotland’s dental services are recovering.

“The committee and I are incredibly grateful for the many valuable contributions from the public and other stakeholders who engaged with us, all of which helped shape our and inform our work, particularly throughout our long Covid inquiry.

“Although the work of the committee has now come to an end, this legacy report will be available for the Parliament’s other committees to consider and take into account as Scotland continues its journey towards recovery from the pandemic.”