The Scottish Conservatives have urged Nicola Sturgeon to correct her statement on vaccine targets to the Scottish Parliament and clarify if future targets have been similarly “downgraded.”
Health spokeswoman Annie Wells has written to the Scottish Parliament’s Presiding Officer to ask that the First Minister corrects the record immediately.
Nicola Sturgeon previously indicated the SNP Government had targeted ‘giving’ second doses to all 40-49 year olds by 26 July, to all 30-39 year olds by 20 August, and to all adults by 12 September.
However, on Monday, the SNP downgraded those targets from ‘giving’ second doses to merely ‘offering’ second doses to those age groups by those dates.
Last week, Deputy First Minister, John Swinney, was forced to apologise for issuing a misleading Covid graphic after he was reported to the UK Statistics Authority by the Scottish Conservatives.
The month before, the UK Statistics Authority criticised the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Humza Yousaf, for “inaccurate” use of child Covid statistics after his statement was flagged as misleading by the Scottish Conservatives.
Scottish Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health, Annie Wells MSP, said: “It is clear that the First Minister has shifted the goalposts by changing the target from people being ‘given’ the vaccine to merely being ‘offered’ the vaccine.
“When a target is set, it is unacceptable to change it at a later date, so that it becomes easier to claim success. By acting in this way, the government loses public trust and prevents proper scrutiny of their actions.
“The public deserve honest information. Nicola Sturgeon must be clear if future targets have also been downgraded and if, as a result of the SNP Government’s failure to deliver on its original promises, the planned easing of restrictions in early August is now in jeopardy.
“Scotland and the UK’s vaccine rollout has been a huge success overall. However, at this late stage, it is right that the First Minister continues to face scrutiny from the opposition when she breaks a promise and fails to deliver on targets set by her own government.”
Notes
Text of the letter is below –
Dear Presiding Officer,
I am writing to you regarding the First Minister’s statement to the Scottish Parliament on 22 June 2021.
In that statement, the First Minister told Parliament that “By 26 July, we expect to have given second doses to all 40 to 49-year-olds, and by 20 August, all 30 to 39-year-olds will have had a second dose. Finally, we expect to have completed second doses for all adults by 12 September.”
However, on 26 July 2021, the First Minister claimed that: “What we set ourselves the target of was offering, by now, the first dose of the vaccine to every adult, everybody over the age of 18, and two doses to the over 40 age group.”
It is clear that the First Minister has shifted the goalposts by changing the target from people being ‘given’ the vaccine to merely being ‘offered’ the vaccine, which is a very different measure.
The public deserve honest and accurate information about the government’s intentions. When a target is set, it is unacceptable to change it at a later date, so that it becomes easier to claim success. By acting in this way, the government loses public trust and prevents proper scrutiny of their actions.
In this instance, given the necessity of completing the vaccine rollout as soon as possible, it is particularly important that the First Minister admits that her original statement was misleading and clarifies if the future targets regarding fully vaccinating all 30-39 year olds by 20 August and all adults by 12 September will be downgraded in a similar manner.
Scotland and the UK’s vaccine rollout has been a huge success overall. However, at this late stage, it is right that the First Minister continues to face scrutiny from the opposition when she breaks a promise and fails to deliver on targets set by her own government.
We have already seen several examples of government ministers using false statistics and fake news in the past few months, including the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Health. It is vital this trend does not continue, and so I would appreciate if, as Presiding Officer, you offered the First Minister the chance to correct the record and clarify the target at the earliest opportunity.
Yours Sincerely,
Annie Wells MSP