Green MSP for the West of Scotland Ross Greer is to be part of a 9-person parliamentary committee covering the response to the Coronavirus.

The cross-party committee will be responsible for scrutinising the Scottish and UK government and other bodies’ response to the crisis and will question Government Ministers and experts. The committee will consider further emergency legislation brought forward by both governments and will have the power to investigate and make recommendations on areas of their choosing.

Ross Greer, who will be the only MSP from the West of Scotland on the committee, said: “The essential work of Parliament is still going on, to the greatest extent possible. Every day MSPs are helping thousands of constituents, both with issues caused by the virus and with the many other challenges people face which have not been put on pause by this pandemic.

“This committee will provide focussed scrutiny of the Scottish Government’s response to the crisis in particular but we’ll also be carefully examining the actions of the UK Government and local councils on behalf of our constituents and taking ample evidence from independent experts to guide our work.

“Whilst our work will focus on the Scottish Government’s strategy for exiting the lockdown and managing the next phase of the response, other parliamentary committees already have work underway on issues such as this year’s alternative solution to cancelled school exams and economic support for businesses who are struggling. I would encourage anyone in the West of Scotland who has a view or a concern about how we respond to this crisis to get in touch with me at ross.greer.msp@parliament.scot.”

By Ricky Kelly

Main writer for Renfrewshire News