The Coronavirus (Extension And Expiry) (Scotland) Act 2021: report to the Scottish Parliament (September 2021)

Executive Summary

The Coronavirus (Extension and Expiry) (Scotland) Act 2021 ("the Extension and Expiry Act") updates a range of existing legislative measures which support various aspects of the ongoing response to the public health emergency caused by the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. The Extension and Expiry Act amends the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020 and the Coronavirus (Scotland) (No.2) Act 2020 to extend Parts 1 of both Acts to 31 March 2022 and to expire certain provisions in the Acts that are no longer considered necessary.

During the parliamentary passage of the Act, amendments were made which introduced a number of new requirements for the Scottish Ministers to report on its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, including measures relating to the holding of marriage ceremonies and civil partnerships, support for businesses and a range of other policy areas.

This report gives effect to the duties placed on Scottish Ministers in sections 5 and 7 of the Act to lay reports before the Scottish Parliament on these topics no later than one month after Royal Assent of the Act. The Scottish Government will continue to report bi-monthly to the Scottish Parliament on the status of all provisions in the Scottish Coronavirus Acts.

John Swinney MSP

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery