Cabinet Minister Michael Gove has reiterated the UK Government's offer to help Scotland accelerate the rollout of coronavirus vaccine.
With figures showing that the Scotland has vaccinated the lowest percentage of the population our of the four nations in the UK, Mr Gove said that help was available to speed up the programme.
The offer comes after Alister Jack wrote to the First Minister as the Scottish Government faced claims that it was “lagging way behind” other parts of Britain.
READ MORE: Alister Jack offers Nicola Sturgeon help with vaccine rollout
In a letter to the First Minister, the Scottish Secretary said that the effort to provide vaccines was the “most important peacetime endeavour this country has ever undertaken”, and that aid would be available to boost the Scottish programme.
Speaking this morning, Mr Gove said: "We want to make sure that that vaccine is available to citizens across the UK, and Jason Leitch was saying yesterday that the vaccine roll-out in Scotland had perhaps not been as quick as it might have been."
"I'm not critical of anyone - I'm just stressing that it's important that we all work together."
The Scottish Government has taken a different approach to the rest of the UK, and has vaccinated those in care homes as a priority - a strategy advised by the UK Government's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)
So far, 95 per cent of residents have revceived a vaccine, and the death rate among this vulnerable section of the population is below that in the rest of the UK.
Mr Gove was unable to answer exactly how many care home residents in England had received a vaccine.
Anne Innes, the first person to receive the vaccine in Scotland
However, the Minister, speaking on BBC radio Scotland, added: "It is the case that all parts of the United Kingdon are following the JCVI guidelines, and it is also the case that in Scotland fewer people have been vaccinated than in the rest of the UK.
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"We take advice from one another. We all work together across the united Kingdom in order to make sure we do our best in the fight against the virus.
"But I think it's important to recognise we wouldn't have this vaccine were it not for the Uk Government's investment in science."
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