Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what comparative assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the lockdown restrictions that have been implemented due to the covid-19 outbreak in Scotland and England.

All four nations of the UK entered lockdown at the same point, and the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations have all gradually eased public health restrictions at the point their Ministers have judged best, in accordance with the devolution settlements. There is more to be done to tackle the virus and while the UK Government is adapting in light of the evidence so far, it is premature to review comprehensively the effectiveness of the lockdown restrictions across the UK.

The UK Government works closely with the Devolved Administrations on tackling Covid-19 and has allocated around £4.6 billion to support public services in Scotland, alongside an unprecedented package of UK-wide support for businesses and individuals, including the furlough and self-employed support scheme which have made the lockdown possible and supported nearly 900,000 jobs across Scotland.