Evidence that is being taken in the UK Covid inquiry today demonstrates why transparency in Government is so important. People were discharged to care homes without testing, too many people died and people lost their livelihoods. We absolutely need to understand why decisions were taken and what happened so that we can learn lessons for the future.

Bereaved families were promised nothing less than full co-operation by the Scottish Government in both the UK and Scottish inquiries, but they have been treated with disrespect. There has been promised transparency and a guarantee from the First Minister that all messages would be handed over but, instead, the Government and individual ministers have so far failed to deliver. Messages from those closest to the decision making have been destroyed on an industrial scale and what we have seen instead can only be construed as deliberate and co-ordinated withholding of information.

A public inquiry was talked about in May 2020. Why did ministers not retain evidence from then? The Deputy First Minister points to individual responsibility to co-operate with the inquiry, but surely it is the collective responsibility of the Scottish Government to ensure that its own procedures are followed, not least by the former First Minister and the former Deputy First Minister. Does the Deputy First Minister agree that it is inconceivable that a former First Minister would not understand the importance of that evidence?

Finally, have all the 70 people in the 137

WhatsApp groups—ministers, special advisers and civil servants—been issued with individual section 21 notices, or was there a notice to the Scottish Government? Does that include the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister? Can the

Deputy First Minister

confirm that she will be able to comply fully and has not destroyed any evidence?