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-35902

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 28 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported challenges in the recruitment and retention of staff in remote, rural and island healthcare settings, what strategies have been introduced to attract and retain healthcare professionals in Skye, Lochalsh and South West Ross.

Health boards such as NHS Highland are autonomous institutions responsible for their own recruitment, employment and deployment of staff.

The Scottish Government supports Boards in these matters through the setting of policies and frameworks at a national level, with initiatives across rural and islands health boards including:

Scottish Government funding for ScotGEM, a unique four-year programme tailored to meet the current and future needs of NHS Scotland with a focus on rural medicine, healthcare improvement and developing interest in General Practice. ScotGEM students are eligible to apply for and receive a ‘Return of Service’ bursary of £4,000 per annum which commits them to working for NHS Scotland for the corresponding number of years following graduation. The Scottish Government also pays the tuition fees for eligible students, offering an attractive package for potential applicants.
A range of grants and allowances including the recruitment and retention allowance, which allows new trainee dentists practicing in eligible areas, to qualify for a ‘Golden Hello’ payment of up to £37,500 in the first three years of practice.
Delivery of a Rural GP Fellowship by NHS Education for Scotland (NES). The fellowship provides qualified GPs with direct experience of working in rural and island areas for a year, including two fellowship posts in Skye.
Going forward, in collaboration with NES’ Centre for Workforce Supply and National Centre for Remote and Rural Health and Care, the Scottish Government will be developing a sustained model of direct support that will provide the long-term whole-system approach which is necessary to provide rural and island employers the help they need to recruit successfully. To improve attraction, this includes supporting employers to design roles that fit their organisations’ needs, ensure that job adverts speak to the right audience and helping employers in welcoming new recruits and providing effective pastoral support.

Question reference: S6W-35901

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 28 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has carried out to fully adopt each of the 15 recommendations in the paper, Independent External Review of Skye, Lochalsh and South West Ross Out Of Hours Services, which was published in 2018, and by what date each recommendation will be fully implemented.

Question reference: S6W-35905

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 28 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish its plan for delivering round-the-clock urgent care at Portree Hospital with the area's health campaigners and wider community.

Question reference: S6W-35908

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 28 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of the cumulative impact of multiple wind farm and transmission developments on the (a) landscape, (b) ecology, (c) economy and (d) biodiversity of Skye and whether it will introduce guidelines to prevent excessive wind farm and pylon developments in areas such as Skye.

Where new energy developments come forward, applications are subject to site-specific assessments by the decision maker. Our Fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4) policy 11 (energy) requires that project design and mitigation demonstrate how impacts to communities, landscape, biodiversity and other receptors, including cumulative impacts, are addressed. It also encourages development to maximise net economic impact, including local and community socio-economic benefits. We have no current plans to introduce guidelines in addition to NPF4.

Question reference: S6W-35913

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 28 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many businesses in the Highlands will go above the VAT threshold because of the visitor levy.

Question reference: S6W-35914

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 28 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated cost to the public sector will be from increased accommodation expenses linked to the implementation of the visitor levy.

Question reference: S6W-35903

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 28 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported challenges in the recruitment and retention of staff in remote, rural and island healthcare settings, what (a) incentives and (b) support programmes have been introduced in each year since 2018 to encourage healthcare professionals to work in such areas, and what the outcome of these has been.

A number of incentives and programmes are in place and have been prior to 2018 to encourage healthcare professionals to work in remote and island healthcare settings. These include the Scottish Government funded ‘Golden Hello’ scheme, administered by Health Boards, which provides up to £10,000 to every GP taking up an eligible post in a rural and island area.

To support GPs to develop the skills required to work in rural and island areas, NHS Education for Scotland (NES) offer a Rural GP Fellowship, which has been in place since 2002. The fellowship provides qualified GPs with direct experience of working in rural and island areas for a year.

The Scottish Government also provides the Remote Areas allowance, in place prior to 2018 which pays out up to £9,000 to dentists providing NHS dental services in qualifying areas. Additionally, the Recruitment and Retention Allowance is in place for certain areas where there is a particular and protracted issue with the recruitment of dentists. This pays dentists £25,000 over two years, and £12,500 paid over one year for dentists undertaking vocational training.

In addition to the Scottish Government funded incentives, staff being recruited to posts in rural and island areas may also be eligible for relocation expenses. The decision to offer relocation expenses lies solely with boards.

Question reference: S6O-04495

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what ongoing assessment it is undertaking regarding the impact of the visitor levy.

Question reference: S6O-04466

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is ensuring that schools in the Highlands and Islands are safe learning environments for pupils and staff.

Question reference: S6O-04362

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it will reduce any administrative burdens on GPs across the Highlands and Islands to allow them to spend more time treating patients.