UK Covid-19 Inquiry - Module 1 report: Scottish Government response

5. Using Data and Research

Recommendation Five – Data and Research for future pandemics

Chair’s Recommendation:

The UK Government, working with the devolved governments, should establish mechanisms for the timely collection, analysis, secure sharing and use of reliable data for informing emergency responses, in advance of future pandemics. Data systems should be tested in pandemic exercises.

The UK Government should also commission a wider range of research projects ready to commence in the event of a future pandemic. These could be ‘hibernated’ studies or existing studies that are designed to be rapidly adapted to a new outbreak. Better working with international partners should be encouraged. This should include projects to:

• Understand the prevalence of a new virus;
• Measure the effectiveness of a range of different public health measures; and
• Identify which groups of vulnerable people are hardest hit by the pandemic and why.

Scottish Government Response:

The Scottish Government accepts this recommendation and are fully committed to working closely with the UK Government and other devolved governments to ensure we have reliable data and research for future pandemics, both for Scotland and on a four nations basis.

The Scottish Government Cross Government Delivery Group on Future Pandemic Preparedness (as described above in relation to Recommendation One) will support the development of improved pandemic preparedness including work on data, research and modelling for future pandemics. As part of this, we will agree a framework setting out the processes for how analytical resource across the Scottish Government can be rapidly redeployed to respond to a future pandemic (supporting the timely collection, analysis, sharing and use of required data) by summer 2025. A pandemic is a health, economic and social crisis so we will include data and research on these domains for policy and operational purposes.

The Scottish Government data systems will be tested in pandemic exercises, collaborating with analytical teams across the Scottish Government, the UK Government and with key partners including Public Health Scotland. We will use findings from these exercises to assess and agree future improvements if needed.

The Scottish Government will continue to collaborate and support the UK Government led work in support of this recommendation, including involvement in the National Situation Centre which supports the coordination of data and analysis. We have appointed a data liaison officer for the Scottish Government to liaise with the Cabinet Office with a view to establishing ways of working on issues of data and analysis between the UK Government and devolved governments during a crisis, ensuring the availability of data and analysis for crisis preparedness and response across the four nations, and establishing the legal gateways that would be used if data was agreed to be shared between the UK Government and devolved governments, and vice versa.

As part of this, we are working with Cabinet Office and devolved governments to agree a Memorandum of Understanding. We commit to working with the UK Government to review and improve mechanisms for data sharing between the UK Government and devolved governments. We have positive working relationships with analytical counterparts across the UK Government and with other devolved governments, including representation on relevant four nations groups. Sharing data about Scotland with the Scottish Government and its agencies is key to helping us develop, deliver, and evaluate policies, including in emergency responses. This continues to be a high priority for the Chief Statistician.

The UK cross-government health and care research and development framework for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response covers all parts of the UK, providing mutual benefits to the UK Government and devolved governments, and enabling funding activation of sleeper protocols to commence research projects in the event of an emergency.

The Scottish Government has representatives on the UK Government Social and Behavioural Science for Emergencies (SBSE) Steering Group, led by the Government Office for Science, who are considering ‘hibernated’ research studies.

The Scottish Government also currently funds the National Centre for Resilience (NCR), a research and knowledge exchange hub hosted by the University of Glasgow, which brings together policy, resilience and academic practitioners to improve synergies between research and practice. The NCR utilises existing knowledge and commissions new projects to address real life issues faced by resilience practitioners and communities. It creates links for researchers to help them adapt their project outputs into tailored briefings and tools for end users.

Accountable Officer:

The Director General for Strategy and External Affairs, working with the Analytical Leadership Group within the Scottish Government, will be accountable for the implementation of the Scottish elements of this recommendation.

Implementation timescales:

• The Scottish Government and partners will agree a framework setting out the processes for how analytical resource across the Scottish Government can be rapidly redeployed to respond to a future pandemic supporting the timely collection, analysis, sharing and use of required data and associated research and modelling by summer 2025.