Vulnerable people across the Highlands and Islands risk missing out on getting vital supplies because of Scottish Government delays in providing supermarkets with key data.
Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston has urged the Scottish Government to supply supermarkets with the list of Scotland’s most vulnerable people to help them prioritise delivery slots during the coronavirus pandemic.
The UK Government has already provided chains south of the border with the details of those who will struggle most to access essential everyday items, but businesses in Scotland are understood to still be waiting.
The Scottish Government has written to around 120,000 “shielded” individuals warning of the health implications of Covid-19, and it is the information relating to some of those on that list who are deemed most clinically vulnerable which Mr Halcro Johnston has said should be shared with big supermarkets as soon as possible.
Jamie Halcro Johnston said: “Supermarket workers are working themselves to the bone to help get supplies onto shelves and out to customers.
“They have seen demand rocket, putting huge pressure on staff in stores, in warehouses and throughout their distribution network. But across the country, they are stepping up to the mark and we should be thanking them for that.
“There is clearly an issue with availability of delivery slots for vulnerable customers, but the problem is not the supermarkets, it is the Scottish Government not handing over the information needed by the supermarkets to allow them to prioritise delivery slots for people who are clinically vulnerable and have no support network.
“Having spoken with some of the supermarkets, they have made very clear that they are ready and waiting to help. And they are already doing so in England where that information has been made available to the supermarkets by Defra.
“But the Scottish Government seems more concerned with reinventing the wheel and doing things differently north of the border, and that is causing these unnecessary delays.
“Supermarkets have made it clear that they are just waiting for the data to come from the Scottish Government. Meanwhile, Scottish Government ministers publicly berate them, claiming they’re not doing enough.
“The Scottish Government needs to stop delaying, get the required data to the supermarkets as soon as possible and allow the supermarkets to do what they have been wanting and waiting to do – getting delivery slots allocated to those vulnerable people who most need them”.
