JACKSON Carlaw has come under fire from various prominent SNP figures after blaming the Scottish Government for failing to conduct any follow-up checks on quarantining new arrivals, despite it happening because the UK Home Office did not give Scotland access to the data.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said on Saturday that Scottish health officials had not been given the required secruity clearance to access passenger information.
This meant that Scotland was unable to check new arrivals from overseas were quarantining as they should be.
READ MORE: Scottish Government to begin quarantine checks on visitors from overseas
Taking to Twitter, Carlaw wrote that the "revelation is just the latest testing & checking failure from the SNP".
"Scotland will be unable to exit lockdown safely until ministers get a grip.
"Sturgeon and her failing ministers are putting us all at increased risk during this pandemic," he added.
Any "failure" is entirely that of the UK Tory Government who denied Scotland access to information about arriving air travellers.
— StewartStevensonMSP (@zsstevens) July 6, 2020
However, SNP representatives have been quick to point out that Carlaw is blaming the Scottish Government for something that appears to be a Home Office problem.
"Any 'failure' is entirely that of the UK Tory Government who denied Scotland access to information about arriving air travellers," MSP Stewart Stevenson wrote in reply.
Sharing Carlaw's tweet, MP Drew Hendry wrote: "This is increasing shrill and desperate.
"He knows full well that the UK Home Office hadn't permitted access until now, even with the facts out there, he still punts this skewed narrative.
READ MORE: SNP MSP Gail Ross the victim of 'sickening' identity theft
"No wonder the Tories are sinking like stones."
And Angus MacNeil, the SNP MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, added: "Unwittingly Carlaw making the case for independence.. So let's have Scotland competent Government not impeded by bufffoonery from Westmin Gov."
Freeman stressed that the issue, which had been ongoing since the measures were announced on June 8, has now been resolved and checks are due to start tomorrow.
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