- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 31 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what the average wait has been for psychological services for parents who have experienced a (a) pregnancy loss, (b) stillbirth and (c) neonatal death in NHS (i) Highland, (ii) Western Isles, (iii) Orkney, (iv) Shetland, (v) Western Isles and (vi) Grampian in each year since 2021.
Answer
Information on average waiting times for psychological services specifically following (a) pregnancy loss, (b) stillbirth, and (c) neonatal death is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.
Psychological services are delivered by NHS Boards. Boards report their overall performance against the 18 week referral to treatment standard, and this data, published quarterly by Public Health Scotland, does not include the reason for referral at this level of detail.
We continue to work with all NHS Boards to improve access to mental health and psychological services, including specific support for perinatal mental health and bereavement.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 30 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-39073 by Jamie Hepburn on 14 July 2025, how many times it has consulted non-government organisations when answering written parliamentary questions in each year since May 2021, broken down by the (a) name of the organisation and (b) date that it contacted them.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not have a central record of details of engagement with non-government organisations or of how every Parliamentary Question is handled.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Monday, 14 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 29 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding allocated from the Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme went to growers based outside of Scotland in each year since it was established.
Answer
While Producer Organisations (POs) that currently receive aid through the Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme funded by the Scottish Government do have a number of members that are not based in Scotland, the scheme does not fund individual growers. Aid is provided to recognised POs, based on an approved operational programme, which must have the support of all PO members. Funding offers a range of opportunities which are of collective value to the PO and its members. Currently there are also a number of Scottish growers which are members of POs in other UK nations.
Information related to funding allocated to POs in other UK nations is not held by the Scottish Government. This is a matter for the Rural Payments Agency.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 29 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many sheep being moved to Scotland have so far been given a pre-movement test as a precaution for bluetongue virus.
Answer
We have requested sheep movement data from APHA, but it has not as yet been received.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 29 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to its announcement of additional funding for National Treatment Centre Highland on 10 April 2025, what assessment it has made regarding the additional funding allocated to support the introduction of combined cataract and trabecular bypass procedures.
Answer
In 2025-26 all ophthalmic procedures at National Treatment Centres (NTCs) will be cataract surgery. NTCs will not provide glaucoma treatments such as trabecular bypasses.
The treatment centres are focusing on delivering higher volume surgery in cataract only lists due to the volume of surgery required. If patients require cataract surgery and an additional procedure, surgery is likely to be undertaken in their Health Board of residence with an Ophthalmologist who specialises in the particular sub-specialty outwith cataracts i.e. Glaucoma.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 29 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to its announcement of additional funding for National Treatment Centre Highland on 10 April 2025, what proportion of the additional funding will be used to support ophthalmic procedures, and how many additional cataract operations it anticipates will be delivered as a result.
Answer
Approximately 61% of the additional funding for National Treatment Centre (NTC) Highland will be used to support ophthalmic procedures. NTC Highland have planned to deliver over 3,500 cataract procedures with this funding.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 25 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has reportedly limited access to the Islands Business Resilience Fund to eight islands, and whether it will consider extending this fund to businesses in all of Scotland's island communities.
Answer
The Scottish Government has worked closely with Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) to develop and refine the eligibility criteria for the Islands Business Resilience Fund (IBRF) and identify how this targeted funding can reach those businesses which meet the criteria and have been impacted by reductions in ferry services.
HIE carried out detailed analysis of data and statistics provided by Transport Scotland and CalMac relating to ferry disruption. Based on this, the islands of South Uist, Colonsay, North Uist, Eriskay, Benbecula, Berneray, Grimsay and Arran were identified as eligible for the Fund, as they each had experienced more than 15% ferry cancellations over the last three operating seasons, with limited alternatives. For comparison, the average disruption to ferry services, across the CalMac network was around 6-7%.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 24 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been distributed to (a) local authorities, (b) NHS boards and (c) other public sector bodies in the Highlands and Islands region to decarbonise their buildings since 2023, broken down by public body.
Answer
The Scottish Green Public Sector Estate Decarbonisation Scheme (GPSEDS) acts as the main government-led capital funding mechanism to support leadership for decarbonisation of buildings owned by the public sector. A breakdown of GPSEDS funding received per public body is set out in the following table.
Organisation | Organisation Type | Scheme | Financial Year | Amount |
Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service | Other Scottish Bodies | Scottish Central Government Energy Efficiency Grant Scheme | 2022-23, 2023-24 | £1,872,916.00 |
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service | Other Significant National Bodies | Scottish Central Government Energy Efficiency Grant Scheme | 2022-23 | £344,849.20 |
Police Scotland | Other Significant National Bodies | Scottish Central Government Energy Efficiency Grant Scheme | 2022-23 | £762,221.53 |
Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service | Non-Ministerial Offices | Scottish Central Government Energy Efficiency Grant Scheme | 2023-24 | £72,816.00 |
Sabhal Mor Ostaig | Further Education Colleges | Scottish Central Government Energy Efficiency Grant Scheme | 2024-25 | £2,498,629.00 |
NHS Orkney | Health Boards | Scottish Central Government Energy Efficiency Grant Scheme | 2022-23 | £4,194,161.59 |
Moray Council | Local Authorities | Scotland's Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation Fund | 2024-25 | £593,880.00 |
Additionally, Health Boards in the region have been supported through direct allocations from the Health Portfolio budget, with NHS Highland receiving £79,000 in 2024-25 and awarded £40,000 in 2025-26. NHS Western Isles has been awarded £80,000 in 2025-26. (Note the amounts for 2025-26 have been awarded but not yet allocated.)
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 24 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to (a) the role of coal as a strategic reserve or transitional energy source and (b) whether a blanket policy of no support potentially risks undermining Scotland’s energy security during periods of volatility or supply disruption, in light of the publication of its Coal extraction: policy position on 19 June 2025.
Answer
We have undertaken a full policy development process in order to reach a finalised position of no support for coal extraction in Scotland, in line with statutory requirements. The first step in this process was the launch of a call for evidence which ran from 21 June to 2 August 2022, which invited stakeholders’ views and expanded our evidence base in this policy area.
The call for evidence set coal extraction in its wider context of our statutory emissions targets and just transition and highlighted our work to date in relevant policy areas, including energy security, climate change, and just transition.
The policy position was subject to statutory and other assessments, including Strategic Environmental Assessment, before finalisation. This included in our draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan (ESJTP), and our National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4). NPF4 is publicly available here: National Planning Framework 4 - gov.scot. The draft SEA of the draft ESJTP is publicly available here: strategic-environmental-assessment-draft-energy-strategy-transition-plan-environmental-report.pdf.
Coal exploitation is a matter reserved to the UK Government, and the Mining Remediation Authority is responsible for licensing coal mining activity in Scotland. Scotland’s planning system is fully devolved to the Scottish Government. We recognise that there may be circumstances where the extraction of coal is legally required, for example as part of building works or where a seam needs to be removed in the course of preparing foundations. Any holder of a licence issued by the Mining Remediation Authority may submit an application for planning permission for coal mining-related activities.
Where any planning applications come forward, as a matter of law these must be determined in accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. As a statement of national policy, the finalised policy position on coal extraction would be a material consideration.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 24 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether its policy of no support for coal extraction applies to all current and future forms of coal-based technologies, including those with the potential to contribute to decarbonisation, such as coal-to-hydrogen conversion or carbon capture and storage, in light of the publication of its Coal extraction: policy position on 19 June 2025.
Answer
We have undertaken a full policy development process in order to reach a finalised position of no support for coal extraction in Scotland, in line with statutory requirements. The policy position was subject to statutory and other assessments, including Strategic Environmental Assessment, before finalisation. This included in our draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan (ESJTP), and our National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4).
NPF4 policy 1 makes clear that significant weight will be given to the global climate and nature crises when considering all development proposals. NPF4 Policy 33 sets out a policy of no support for the exploration, development and production of fossil fuels, other than in exceptional circumstances aligned with national policy on energy and targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This includes our policy position on coal extraction.
