- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what passenger and aviation data it relied on when it concluded that the proposed Air Departure Tax exemption for domestic flights from Highlands and Islands airports, including Inverness Airport, is necessary to support connectivity, including (a) the source, (b) year of the most recent data considered and (c) any equivalent evidence relating to Aberdeen International Airport.
Answer
The Scottish Government considered a range of evidence in reaching its conclusion that an exemption from Air Departure Tax (ADT)is necessary to protect Highlands and Islands aviation connectivity.
This included evidence gathered through the ‘Delivering Scotland's Air Departure Tax’ consultation, which ran from 29 January to 26 March 2026 ,as well as wider stakeholder engagement.
The evidence gathered via our consultation highlighted the particular connectivity challenges faced by communities and businesses in the Highlands and Islands region, which necessitates a continued tax exemption for the carriage of passengers to UK airports.
The Scottish Government has also analysed official data published by the UK’s aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA),as well as private sector passenger and route-level data provided by RDC Aviation. These datasets disaggregate data by individual Scottish airports, including Inverness Airport and Aberdeen Airport.
Data on aircraft movements, including for commercial scheduled flights and business aviation, are published monthly by the CAA. Multiple respondents to the ‘Delivering Scotland's Air Departure Tax’ consultation cited CAA data in their responses, with the most recent data sourced from 2025.
During the policy development process, the Scottish Government utilised passenger and route-level data from the previous full financial year (2024-25), obtained via RDC Aviation’s Apex platform.
The Scottish Government additionally considered various sources of evidence in our subsidy control assessment, including:
- ‘Scottish Islands Survey’, Scottish Government(2023)
- ‘Scotland National Strategy for Economic Transformation: Evidence from Regional Economic Partnerships’, Scottish Government (2022)
- ‘Cost of Living: impact on rural communities in Scotland’, Scottish Affairs Committee (2024)
- ‘Strategic Approach – Islands Connectivity Plan’, Transport Scotland (2025)
- ‘Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the Highlands and Islands’, Scottish Human Rights Commission (2024)
- Western Isles Transport and Health Working Group, HITRANS (2025)
- ‘Remote and Rural Healthcare Inquiry’, Scottish Parliament Health, Social Care and Sport Committee (2024)
- ‘Regional Economic Strategy’, Highlands and Islands Regional Economic Partnership (2025)
- ‘Rural and Regional Disadvantage in the Highlands and Islands’, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) (2022)
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 18 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has received the four aerial firefighting assets requested from the Ministry of Defence on 25 July 2026 and, if so, on what date.
Answer
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, (SFRS) received no aerial firefighting assets from the Ministry of Defence, (MoD) during the Cairngorms wildfire in July.
Although a request was made to the MoD regarding availability of specific aerial firefighting support, the Scottish Government was advised that the MoD does not possess the requested aerial firefighting assets stationed within the UK.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 22 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what criteria it uses when assessing proposals for new railway stations.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 22 September 2026
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 24 August 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 15 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether any recent financial transactions affecting NHS Grampian alter the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) estimate that the board has been below National Resource Allocation Committee (NRAC) parity by approximately £277 million since 2009.
Answer
The NRAC formula is an objective measure of the need for health care services in Scotland, providing a target share for Territorial Boards.
The Scottish Government continues to ensure that all Boards remain within 0.6% of NRAC parity. Since 2012-13, over £4 billion of additional funding has been committed to those NHS Boards below their NRAC parity levels, including additional funding for NHS Grampian.
Between 2014-15 and 2026-27, NHS Grampian received £87.2 million in parity funding, including £11.4 million in 2026-27 from a total national allocation of £32.8 million, maintaining the Board within the agreed 0.6% tolerance of its NRAC target allocation.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 24 August 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 15 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has reviewed or revised the National Resource Allocation Committee (NRAC) formula or parity calculations in light of financial challenges experienced by territorial NHS boards, including NHS Grampian.
Answer
The NRAC formula is an objective measure of the need for health care services in Scotland, providing a target share for Territorial Boards. The formula is refreshed by Public Health Scotland on an annual basis to ensure it reflects the most up-to-date data available.
The Scottish Government has committed to review the NRAC formula through the Technical Advisory Group for Resource Allocation (TAGRA). The review is ongoing and is being considered alongside the Programme for Government commitment to simplify NHS Board structures, which may affect its scope and timing.
The Scottish Government continues to ensure that all Boards remain within 0.6% of NRAC parity. Since 2012-13, over £4 billion of additional funding has been committed to those NHS Boards below their NRAC parity levels, including additional funding for NHS Grampian.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 24 August 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 15 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its work with NHS Grampian to bring the board's financial position into line with its financial targets.
Answer
Since NHS Grampian moved to Stage 4 of the NHS Scotland Support and Intervention Framework for finance, leadership and governance in May 2025, a range of support measures have been put in place commensurate with the Board’s financial challenges. This includes a Scottish Government-led Assurance Board, which provides enhanced oversight and support to NHS Grampian, monitoring progress against key financial and operational challenges while strengthening financial governance. It continues to work closely with the Board's leadership team to support recovery planning and help return the Board to a sustainable financial footing.
NHS Grampian remain on track to meet key financial targets in 2026-27.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 14 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answer expected on 28 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of potential locations that would be suitable for the development of off-grid pumped-storage hydro facilities and offshore wind installations.
Answer
Answer expected on 28 September 2026
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 24 August 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Stephen Gethins on 7 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government how many actions contained in its Offshore Wind Skills Programme (a) have been completed, (b) remain outstanding and (c) have had their delivery date revised.
Answer
The Offshore Wind Skills Priorities & Action Plan was developed with industry and key public sector partners and sets out 12 initial actions over the next two years. The plan is jointly owned by partners - public bodies, education providers and sector skills organisations - who have committed to taking these actions forward.
Five actions in the Offshore Wind Skills Priorities & Action Plan have been completed, and seven actions are underway. Six of these actions are on track to be completed by, or ahead of, their respective delivery dates. The Offshore Wind Skills Programme Board approved revisions to the delivery dates of three actions, two of which have been completed, with the third on track for delivery.
The Scottish Government and delivery partners remain committed to implementing the Offshore Wind Skills Priorities & Action Plan in full.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 24 August 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 3 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of projects supported by the Just Transition Fund are required to report the number of (a) jobs created, (b) jobs safeguarded and (c) people subsequently entering employment, and when it expects to have complete outcome data for any projects supported in 2025-26.
Answer
Launched in 2022, the Just Transition Fund (JTF) is a 10-year commitment focused on creating new jobs and economic opportunities as the North East and Moray transitions away from carbon-intensive industries.
Scottish Government has an established reporting process which is used to monitor progress on each project during delivery. We also undertake regular independent impact evaluation to ensure that impacts of the Fund are well understood, and that the projects deliver as much impact as possible.
A fresh independent impact evaluation of the first four years of delivery of the JTF is being commissioned currently, and we intend to publish findings in early 2027. This will provide a comprehensive view of the jobs created, investment leveraged and wider impacts of the Fund. Importantly, it will also estimate the forward impact of these projects as they mature and continue to deliver and provide an estimate of the impact of the newly announced projects for 26/27. Some projects have their own independent evaluation, such as the ETZ Supply Chain Pathway and Challenge Fund Programme which has recently reported that their project alone directly led to the creation of 267 FTE jobs between 2022 – 2026, with the report estimating it would create 786 FTE jobs over a 10 year period. See here.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 August 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 31 August 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to publishing regular NHS board-level information regarding confirmed measles cases, including hospital admissions and whether infections were imported or locally acquired, as well as information on MMR and MMRV catch-up vaccination activity, where such information can be published without compromising patient confidentiality.
Answer
Public Health Scotland (PHS) publishes national measles case numbers on a weekly basis. Further information is available in the latest Immunisation and Vaccine Preventable Diseases Quarterly Report, which currently covers the period to March 2026. The next quarterly report, covering the period to the end of June 2026, will be published on 1 September 2026. A summary of trends is also provided in the annual publication Protecting the population of Scotland from vaccine preventable diseases: Vaccination and Immunisation Report - Publications - Public Health Scotland.
Scotland continues to experience relatively low levels of measles. While this is welcome, the small number of cases means that publishing more detailed information, such as NHS Board-level case numbers, hospital admissions, or whether infections were imported or locally acquired, could risk identifying individuals. For this reason, such breakdowns are not routinely published.
Information on MMR and MMRV vaccine uptake is published through the PHS Vaccination Surveillance Dashboard. Although uptake remains high in Scotland, there have been long-term declines, consistent with trends seen elsewhere. Work is ongoing at both national and local levels to improve uptake and reduce inequalities. For example, the five-year Scottish Vaccination and Immunisation Programme Framework sets out priorities to improve vaccine uptake and reduce vaccine-preventable disease, while bi-monthly liaison meetings between PHS and NHS Boards provide opportunities to review local data and address operational challenges.
