Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-42253

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 17 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what communication its ministers have had with Scottish Enterprise regarding the provision of financial support for the Offshore Solutions Group in relation to its proposal to develop the Moray FLOW-Park; whether Scottish Enterprise advised its ministers of any intention to provide financial support, and whether it will publish any correspondence with Scottish Enterprise on these matters.

Question reference: S6W-42266

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 15 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-41921 by Jim Fairlie on 1 December 2025, whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding whether the pilot gull management for the city of Inverness has now been finalised, including whether it will be in place and ready to be implemented prior to the commencement of seagull breeding season in 2026, and for what reason it did not provide this detail in its response.

Question reference: S6W-41916

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 14 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 1 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether its position on the transfer of children's vaccinations to GPs by NHS Highland due to proceed in April 2026 has changed, and whether it will provide a detailed statement of the timetable for the processes involved in the transfer of this service to GPs.

Question reference: S6W-41923

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 14 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 1 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether NatureScot has attended meetings of the Highland Council steering group that is dealing with the issues of seagull management, and, if not, for what reason.

Question reference: S6W-41925

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 14 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 1 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding NatureScot's work on the issue of gull management, whether it has confidence in its CEO and Chair.

Question reference: S6W-41924

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 14 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 1 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether NatureScot is implementing the work that the Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity announced it would commit to in his ministerial statement on 1 October 2025; what action he will take if NatureScot fails to implement the work, and whether he will exercise his power of direction to require NatureScot to deliver what he announced it would do.

NatureScot is implementing the work set-out in the statement the I made on 1 October 2025, as well as the issues that arose during the gull summit.

NatureScot is taking the following actions to find practical solutions to gull issues:

NatureScot leading four further regional roundtable events across Scotland to continue to develop a partnership approach with those not able to attend the gull summit in Inverness; A new People and Gulls Forum will be established at a national level to ensure the longevity of summit efforts.
Delivery of £100k funding to local authorities who face the more acute issues in order to develop their area wide gull management approach ahead of Spring next year;
Leading a partnership, including with Zero Waste Scotland and Keep Scotland Beautiful, in developing a national awareness campaign to encourage people not to feed gulls and carry out proper waste management so that the food supply for gulls in towns and cities is minimised;
Accelerating our understanding of gull populations nationally, with increased focus on improving survey techniques for gulls nesting in urban areas so that we can more fully understand the numbers and population dynamics involved;
Lead best practice guidance to include waste management in urban areas to limit food availability to gulls and undertake survey techniques that assess local urban populations, movements, and high impact areas.

Question reference: S6W-41915

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 14 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 1 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS Highland requires a vaccination distribution licence and, if so, what the reasons are for this, what the cost is of such a licence, and whether the cost requires to be met by NHS Highland.

A Wholesale Distribution Authorisation (WDA) is typically required to legally supply a medicinal product to another legal entity, for example for a Health Board to supply a GP Practice. There is no requirement to hold a WDA where medicinal products are being transferred between different locations within the same legal entity, for example from a Health Board managed pharmacy department to a Health Board managed vaccination clinic.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for the granting of WDAs. The MHRA fees are in the public domain and vary depending on factors such as the number of distribution sites. In addition to the MHRA fees, there are resource implications in meeting the obligations and conditions of a Wholesale Distribution Authorisation, for example appointment of a suitably qualified Responsible Person.

NHS Highland is currently reviewing its distribution arrangements for vaccines. NHS National Services Scotland (National Procurement) and Scottish Government officials are providing assistance.

Question reference: S6W-41918

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 14 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 1 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the hybrid system of vaccinations of NHS Highland shared between its teams and GPs, what the estimated annual (a) extra costs of maintaining a dual system and (b) costs of each of the two parts of the service are, in each of the next five years.

Question reference: S6W-41922

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 14 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 1 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether NatureScot has completed its work to develop a co-ordinated gull management plan with local authorities, as announced by the Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity in his ministerial statement on 1 October 2025, and, if not, when this work will be completed.

Question reference: S6W-41921

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 14 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 1 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether the pilot gull management for the city of Inverness, announced by the Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity in his ministerial statement on 1 October 2025, has now been finalised, and, if not, what progress has been made since the statement was made, and whether the pilot will be in place and ready to be implemented prior to the commencement of seagull breeding season in 2026.

NatureScot continue to engage and further develop the existing management approaches for Inverness with officials from Highland Council.

Through this shared commitment to establish the City of Inverness as a leading example of adaptive urban gull management that protects public health and amenity while safeguarding the conservation status of gull species, their aims and objectives together, are to:

Have a shared understanding of the impact that an urban Gull population has on the day to day living needs of City residents.
Minimise conflict between gulls and people in key urban areas.
Promote coexistence through education, deterrents, and habitat management.
Ensure compliance with NatureScot guidance and wildlife legislation.
Support declining gull populations through appropriate sanctuary provision.

This pilot builds on the existing gull management programme led by Inverness BID and funded by the Inverness Common Good Fund and Inverness BID. It will serve as a model for future management plans across other communities in the Highlands.

The aim is to have an area based approach to licensing available for the forthcoming gull breeding season.