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: S7W-02254

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 31 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the review of measles preparedness in the North East, whether the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care or the Minister for Mental Wellbeing, Public Health, Sport, Alcohol and Drugs will convene a meeting with Public Health Scotland, NHS Grampian, NHS Tayside and relevant local authorities and subsequently publish an update setting out agreed actions, responsible organisations and timescales.

Question reference: S7W-02249

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 31 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many children residing in (a) Dundee City, (b) Aberdeen City, (c) Angus and (d) Aberdeenshire are currently recorded as having received (i) no dose, (ii) one dose and (iii) two doses of the MMR or MMRV vaccine, broken down by the latest available age groups.

Question reference: S7W-02252

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 31 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that schools, nurseries, colleges and universities in the North East are suitably prepared to respond to suspected or confirmed cases of measles when pupils and students return following the summer break, including in relation to guidance, contact tracing, communications with families and additional vaccination capacity.

Maree Todd: The Scottish Government expects educational establishments for all age groups to follow Public Health Scotland’s Health Protection Guidance to minimise the risk of transmission of infectious diseases, including measles.

Any measles outbreak in Scotland is managed through established local and national public health response arrangements. Where a suspected or confirmed case is identified in an educational setting, the relevant NHS Board, supported by Public Health Scotland, will provide advice and support on outbreak management, including public health actions as required.

Colleges and universities, as autonomous institutions, are responsible for their own operational arrangements for responding to incidents and reporting suspected cases of notifiable diseases.

The Scottish Government continues to promote uptake of the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine. Information on vaccinations and the importance of keeping vaccinations up to date is available through NHS Inform, Parent Club and Student Information Scotland. This includes advice on vaccines offered at secondary school, checking MMR vaccination status and arranging vaccination appointments through local GP practices.

Question reference: S7W-02255

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 31 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the names of all current standing or ad hoc (a) boards, (b) committees, (c) working groups, (d) subgroups, (e) taskforces, (f) advisory groups, (g) forums and (h) other governance arrangements that it is involved in and consider (i) measles, (ii) vaccination and immunisation, (iii) infectious-disease outbreaks and (iv) wider health-protection and outbreak preparedness, and whether it will provide, for each one, information on the (A) remit, (B) chair, (C) participating organisations, (D) date of establishment and (E) dates of meetings since 1 January 2025.

Question reference: S7W-02250

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 31 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding MMR or MMRV catch-up vaccination, how many invitations have been issued since 1 January 2026 by (a) NHS Tayside and (b) NHS Grampian, how many of those invited have subsequently attended an appointment and received a vaccination, and what targets have been set to increase uptake in each of these NHS board areas.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. Public Health Scotland (PHS) also does not hold or publish information on the number of MMR or MMRV catch-up vaccination invitations issued, subsequent vaccination following invitation or local uptake targets. NHS Boards will use local management information to support operation planning in their area but this not routinely collected or published at a national level.

The 5-year Scottish Vaccination and Immunisation Programme (SVIP) framework sets out priorities to improve uptake, reduce inequalities and reduce disease burden. To support the delivery of this, national indicators are under development. Bi-monthly Board liaison calls between PHS and NHS Boards provide an opportunity to discuss local data and operational issues.

Question reference: S7W-02253

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 August 2026
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.

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.

Question reference: S7W-02248

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 31 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the uptake of the second dose of the MMR vaccine by age five, what assessment it has made of the latest Public Health Scotland data, which indicates uptake rates of 85.0% in Dundee City and 87.1% in Aberdeen City in the year ending 31 March 2026, compared with 89.7% across Scotland and the World Health Organization’s recommended level of at least 95%, and what targeted action it is taking in these areas in response to this data.

Long-term declines in uptake are seen across immunisations across the UK 4-nations and beyond, with Scotland comparing favourably. The reasons are multifaceted and include attitudinal and behavioural, as well as structural, and are described here: Understanding and Addressing Declines in Childhood Immunisations - Understanding and Addressing Declines in Childhood Immunisations - Publications - Public Health Scotland

Immunisation uptake varies by NHS Board, local authority and a range of demographic factors, including deprivation, ethnicity, sex and urban-rurality, reflecting a range of interrelated demographic, behavioural and structural factors. In January 2026, the second MMR dose was brought forward from 3 years 4 months to 18 months, creating more opportunities for vaccination before school age. Ongoing improvement activity includes implementation of the five-year Scottish Vaccination and Immunisation Programme (SVIP) framework and regular engagement between Public Health Scotland and NHS Boards.

Question reference: S7W-02251

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 31 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will work with NHS Tayside and NHS Grampian to publish targeted plans for improving MMR and MMRV vaccination uptake in Dundee City and Aberdeen City, including consideration of direct reminders, evening and weekend appointments, drop-in clinics and community or school-based vaccination opportunities, and, if so, what timescales and improvement targets it will set.

The Scottish Government is working with Public Health Scotland and NHS Boards, including NHS Tayside and NHS Grampian, to improve childhood vaccination uptake. Nationally, the five-year Scottish Vaccination and Immunisation Programme (SVIP) Framework sets out priorities to increase uptake, reduce inequalities and minimise the burden of vaccine-preventable disease. Public Health Scotland also holds regular liaison meetings with NHS Boards to review local data, share learning and discuss quality improvement activity. Boards continue to implement measures based on local need, including reminder and recall arrangements, flexible appointments and community-based delivery, supported through existing national improvement arrangements.

Question reference: S7W-02590

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the UK Home Office estimating that AI triage of 101 calls could save police forces £8.5 million per year by redirecting non-police enquiries, whether it has had any discussions with Police Scotland on these possibilities, what assessment it has made of the potential impact of AI call-triage technology on Police Scotland’s 101 waiting times and call-handling capacity, and whether it has asked Police Scotland to assess any potential financial savings and any risks arising from introducing similar technology in Scotland.

Question reference: S7O-00157

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of the introduction of Air Departure Tax on Aberdeen International Airport and the wider North East Scotland economy.