THE TORIES have accused Health Secretary Jeane Freeman of breaching the ministerial code after confidential details about the Covid vaccine were accidentally revealed by the Scottish Government.
Earlier this week, the vaccine delivery plan for Scotland was taken offline just hours after it had been uploaded, after it revealed the supply of vaccine from Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna that it expects to receive each week.
READ MORE: Covid in Scotland: 61 deaths recorded as international travel changes come in
The UK Government said this broke commercial confidentiality agreements with the manufacturers. They warned that could lead to suppliers coming under pressure from other countries.
The ministerial code says ministers must respect the “confidentiality and security” of government business.
Freeman also came under fire on Wednesday after she revealed a vaccine location that should have been kept secret because of “security protocols around Covid-19.”
Scottish Tory health spokesman, Donald Cameron, has written to Nicola Sturgeon urging her to launch an investigation.
He said: “There is a clear case that the ministerial code may have been broken by the failure to properly respect the confidentiality of sensitive information.
“The SNP Government itself has admitted they got this wrong. They asked journalists not to report a secret location, the Covid plan was removed within hours and the First Minister acknowledged the flaws in publishing restricted supply figures.
“These multiple blunders in the space of 24 hours have risked shaking public confidence in the government’s handling of the Covid vaccine.”
Speaking at the Scottish Government’s daily coronavirus briefing, Freeman said she had spoken to and apologised to her counterparts in Wales and Northern Ireland, and to UK health secretary Matt Hancock.
She said: “I regret that we published information that the UK Government considers to be sensitive – I’ve had those conversations with them and respect their view.
“We’ve withdrawn that information and the plan, with that part removed, everything else there is back up on our website.”
She said the Scottish Government wants to be open with the public about the pandemic, but she takes responsibility for the “mistake”.
She said: “From day one, the First Minister said that she wanted to have an adult relationship with the people of Scotland and I think that was exactly the right approach to take.”
Freeman added: “I regret that what was done, with the right intentions I firmly believe, has caused some upset and I apologise for that.
“I am confident that those I have spoken to are now content and we can move on.
“It has not damaged the relationships between myself and the Secretary of State at UK Government level or my colleagues in Wales and Northern Ireland, and I know that because I spoke to all four of them last night.”
She said decisions relating to alleged breaches of the ministerial code are a matter for the First Minister to consider.
Meanwhile, the health secretary also announced plans to test carers without any coronavirus symptoms.
Testing had been due to begin by the end of March, but the Health Secretary confirmed at Friday’s daily coronavirus briefing it has been brought forward to next week “given the seriousness of the situation we now face”.
She also confirmed 2,160 new cases of Covid-19 had been recorded in Scotland in the past 24 hours.
A further 61 deaths were also recorded, bringing the death toll under this measure – of people who first tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days – to 5,227.
The daily test positivity rate is 7.5%, down from 8.3% on Wednesday when 1,707 new cases were recorded.
A total of 159,239 people have tested positive in Scotland since the start of the pandemic.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel