I would like to thank the Deputy First Minister for her statement but, I regret to say, it tells us precisely nothing. It is disappointing that John Swinney is not responding, given that he was central to decision making. In my view, the statement is a masterclass in spin because it fails to address the substance of any recommendations and talks only about process. I am reminded of the tale of the emperor’s new clothes.

We know that the Scottish Government was not prepared and failed to take action quickly enough. We know that hospitals were emptied of older people, who were sent to care homes, untested, when they were Covid positive, which led to a devastating 4,000 deaths. We know that the impact on vulnerable and disadvantaged groups was not considered and that John Swinney downgraded the exam results of working-class kids based on their postcode.

What we know today is that most members of the Cabinet were sidelined. They were not included in decision making, no minutes were taken and there was wholesale deletion of WhatsApp messages by Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney.

Families who lost loved ones deserve answers. Will the Deputy First Minister have the grace to apologise for the errors that were made by her Government and will she tell us when we will have the formal response to the Covid inquiry’s recommendations?