First Minister’s Questions 9 November 2023

Podcasts By The Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Parliament

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4.8 • 25 Ratings

🗓️ 9 November 2023

⏱️ 48 minutes

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Summary

First Minister Humza Yousaf MSP answers questions from oppositions party leaders and other MSPs during this weekly question time. Transcripts of FMQs are available on our website: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/what-was-said-and-official-reports/what-was-said-in-parliament/

Transcript

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0:00.0	Thank you. That concludes general questions. Before we move to First Minister's questions, I invite members to join me in welcoming to the gallery, His Excellency, Teodora Loxine, Ambassador of the is First Minister's questions.
0:24.6	And at question number one, I call Douglas Ross.
0:27.6	Last night, the Deputy First Minister was forced to admit to this Parliament that the UK COVID inquiry sent a request to the Scottish Government for messages related
0:38.3	to the pandemic in February of this year.
0:42.3	But last week, the Deputy First Minister claimed the request was made just over a month ago.
0:49.3	First Minister, those two statements are clearly contradictory, So how can they both be true?
0:56.6	The Deputy First Minister was clear in her statement. And you can check the official record for this, of course, when she made her statement last week. She did mention that there was initial requests from the inquiry. In terms of my own response
1:12.6	to Anna Sauer, I of course was talking about a very particular issue around specific WhatsApp groups.
1:18.6	But let me be clear. Let me be absolutely clear that I fully accept that the Scottish Government clearly interpreted the requests from the inquiry in a way that was too narrow.
1:37.0	For any shortcomings on our behalf that has caused any distress.
1:43.3	For any shortcomings on our behalf that has caused any distress. For any shortcomings on our behalf that has caused any distress to the families of those who have been bereaved by COVID, then I apologise unreservedly, as I did last week.
1:56.9	And I reiterate and reemphasise that apology this week.
2:01.1	What we have done on the back of the request from the inquiry have ensured that the
2:06.6	Government has released 14,000 messages to the inquiry.
2:11.1	When it comes to my own witness statement, that includes reams of WhatsApp messages unredacted.
2:17.1	That is, of course, in very stark contrast
2:20.2	to a Prime Minister who not only dragged the inquiry through courts, but has refused to
2:26.4	hand over his own WhatsApp messages.
2:28.2	Thank you.
2:30.2	Thank you.
2:32.2	This is the third week. I've raised this at First Minister's questions.
2:38.0	If the SMP don't like it, I don't think they would have liked the First Minister's attempt
	...

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