Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at on 3 September 2020.
Anas Sarwar
Labour
The sad reality for older people living in care homes is that their human rights seem to have been an afterthought. Almost half of Covid deaths have happened in care homes.
We knew that those who lived in care homes were the most vulnerable to the virus, yet 47 Covid-positive patients were transferred into care homes. We were slow to set up testing, and we still have gaps in testing. Instead, we have sometimes demonised healthcare workers.
What role will the Minister now play to make sure that we can, as best as possible, put a protective shield around our care homes and protect as many older people’s lives as we can?
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
