- Lack of Meeting Minutes: Forbes Surprised
- Failure to Delete WhatsApps
- Lack of Meeting Minutes
Currently convened in Edinburgh, the UK COVID-19 Inquiry is investigating the response of the devolved administration to the pandemic.
An inquiry found that Kate Forbes deleted her WhatsApp exchanges with senior Holyrood ministers and officials in January 2022, after all significant COVID decisions had been made.
The former finance secretary of Scotland testified before the UK COVID-19 Inquiry that she “acquiesced” when a subordinate member of her private office informed her that, effective January 2022, all internal office communications would be deleted by Scottish government policy. She did so under the impression that it was an instruction.
She did not recall the policy for other individuals within or near the government or cabinet.
According to Ms Forbes, the SNP MSP for Skye, Badenoch, and Lochaber, she responded to the inquiry “with the intention of being entirely candid.”
How senior Holyrood ministers and officials handled requests from the inquiry to hand over WhatsApp messages has generated controversy. In a “unreserved” apology, First Minister Humza Yousaf criticized the Scottish government’s “frankly poor” handling of such requests.
He admitted, while testifying before the inquiry last week that this would have caused “serious grief and re-trauma” for those who lost loved ones in the pandemic and apologized for his actions.
WhatsApp Losses and Meeting Oversight
The inquiry previously mentioned how former first minister Nicola Sturgeon and her deputy John Swinney lost their WhatsApp messages. However, Ms Sturgeon subsequently stated that the messages had been returned to the proper authorities after the recipients saved them.
Scotland’s chief medical officer, Professor Sir Gregor Smith, instructed colleagues to delete WhatsApp messages “at the end of every day,” Professor Jason Leitch, national clinical director, referred to the daily eradication of messages as a “pre-bed ritual.”
Ms Forbes stated that she was “surprised” to discover that meetings of the Scottish Government Resilience Room (SGoRR) and “gold command” group had not been minuted when further questioned on Tuesday regarding record retention.
She commented: “That surprises me, and this would be the first time I am hearing it.”
Jamie Dawson KC, counsel to the inquiry, stated, “We believe this to be the case because we have requested all documents pertaining to these matters from the Scottish government. While we do have cabinet minutes, we do not have minuted records of either of those groups.”
The absence of documentation regarding the decision-making process complicates understanding the ultimate decision.
Ms. Forbes responded, “I can appreciate your frustration.”
Before being accepted in 2021, Ms. Forbes was ignorant of the gold command group.
Chair of the Inquiry Lady Hallett questioned Ms Forbes, “Why were you absent from the command meetings in 2020, considering your seniority in the Scottish government?”
Ms. Forbes stated, “I had no knowledge of it. I cannot even recall if I was aware that they existed.”
Lady Hallett remarked, “You would have anticipated an invitation, wouldn’t you?”
In response, Ms. Forbes stated, “I would have anticipated an invitation to any meeting with substantial financial ramifications.”
“Unlock your financial potential with free Webull shares in the UK.”
She also stated that she did not recall being informed of any epidemiological evidence regarding the coronavirus. This evidence was accessible to the Scottish government at the time of her appointment as finance secretary in February 2020.
Additionally, the MSP stated that she could not recall anything regarding COVID in the budget. Her predecessor, Derek Mackay, had prepared and presented it to parliament on 6 February 2020.
The investigation, which is currently ongoing in Edinburgh, continues.
