UK Covid inquiry witness support: FOI release

Information requested

Can you release any information about support for witnesses appearing at the UK COVID inquiry?

1. Was external assistance brought in to help prepare the witnesses?

2. If so, can you say and how long they spent with each witness supported?

3. Was any SG support offered to non or ex SG staff or former ministers?

4. Was any external support offered to non or ex SG staff or former ministers?

Response

Yes, we have included our response to your request below:

1. External assistance to support witnesses was provided. The Scottish Government Legal Directorate (“SGLD”) SGLD out-sourced part of its work of providing support to witnesses to Morton Fraser MacRoberts.

Details of the time spent by Morton Fraser MacRoberts with each witness are given below:

Witness	Hours
Ken Thomson	1 hour 30 mins
Jason Leitch	2 hours 30 mins
Audrey MacDougall	1 hour 30 mins
Jeane Freeman	1 hour 30 mins
Gregor Smith	1 hour 30 mins

3. Scottish Government support was offered to non or ex Scottish Government staff and former ministers appearing at the UK Covid Inquiry by the Scottish Government Covid Inquiries Response Directorate and SGLD.

4. External support was offered to non or ex SG staff or former ministers by Morton Fraser MacRoberts where such support was outsourced by SGLD.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.