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Call for greater transparency from Scottish Government over Grantown Covid outbreak





A Highlands MSP is calling for greater transparency from Scottish Government over the recording of last year’s Covid outbreak in Grantown.

Edward Mountain (Scottish Conservative) has accused Health Secretary Jeane Freeman of showing a 'lack of democratic accountability'.

The regional MSP wants Ms Freeman to pinpoint where the 31 cases – 29 of them linked with Millers of Speyside abattoir - which occurred last September are recorded in official figures.

Highlands MSP Edward Mountain.
Highlands MSP Edward Mountain.

Mr Mountain said he has pressed for them to be identified within the 'Daily Data for Scotland’ in relation to Covid-19 but 16 weeks later maintains he has not received a satisfactory response.

He said: “I find the lack of an open answer deeply concerning and to me it also demonstrates a high level of disrespect to the parliamentary system...

"I am seeking this information on behalf of constituents but I am struggling to receive straight answers from the SNP Government."

Ms Freeman has said in her response that it would be inappropriate for her to comment on individual cases due to patient confidentiality.

In an email to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport on September 7, last year, Mr Mountain had asked: “Can you explain which days figures these 31 cases are contained within, in the Scottish Government’s ‘Daily Data for Scotland’ in relation to Covid-19.”

The Cabinet Secretary responded: “I appreciate that you had a conversation with the Director of Public Health in NHS Highland, who advised you that there were 31 positive cases notified to him on Thursday 4 September 2020.

"Although it would be inappropriate for me to comment on individual cases due to patient confidentiality, I have set out links to our published data on positive cases with NHS Highlands board area.”

Mr Mountain said the Daily Data for Scotland offers little clarity as to how or when the 31 positive Covid cases were recorded.

In a follow-up with the health department earlier this week, Mr Mountain: “After waiting around 16 weeks for a response I thought that I might actually get an answer to the question I asked. I don’t believe that it is difficult or one that which needed such a long delay and such obfuscation.

"I find the lack of an open answer deeply concerning and to me it also demonstrates a high level of disrespect to the parliamentary system.

"I just cannot understand why you are unwilling to set out on which day or days the 31 positive cases, notified to NHS Highland’s Director of Public Health on Thursday 3 September 2021, were added to the ‘Daily Data for Scotland’ in relation to Covid-19. There is no way that this is decipherable from the Public Health Scotland data for that period how those 31 positive cases were recorded.”

He told the Strathy: "An open and transparent government should respond to a simple question in less than sixteen weeks and, when they do respond, they should answer the question directly.”

NHS Highland first announced on September 1 that it was is aware of a cluster of five cases of Covid-19 in the Grantown area.

The Strathy contacted the Scottish Government for a comment.


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