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-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.

Question reference: S7W-02079

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2026
Current Status: Holding Answer by Stephen Gethins on 25 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-01538 by Stephen Gethins on 23 July 2026, which states that officials have been monitoring the scheme on an on-going basis and that consideration has been given to any adaptations that can be made since the scheme launched on 1 April 2026, what adaptations (a) have actually been made, (b) were proposed as being prudent, necessary or advisable but were not made, and who made such a decision.

Question reference: S7W-02078

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2026
Current Status: Holding Answer by Stephen Gethins on 25 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-01537 by Stephen Gethins on 23 July 2026, which did not address the point raised regarding the £10 million Scottish Heating Oil Support Scheme fund, where any unallocated funds are currently held and what its plans are for such funds when the scheme closes in September 2026, including where any remaining funds will be held thereafter.

Question reference: S7W-02662

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 22 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many participants in the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund have subsequently entered employment, and, of these, how many entered employment in the renewable energy or wider low-carbon energy sector.

Question reference: S7W-02661

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 22 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its latest estimate is of the current and forecast workforce shortfall in the offshore wind sector in North East Scotland, broken down by occupation.

Question reference: S7W-01962

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Simita Kumar on 20 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the £12.5 million International Development Inclusive Education Programme announced in 2024, (a) how much funding has been paid to date, broken down by (i) financial year, (ii) project, (iii) recipient organisation and (iv) partner country, and (b) what payments remain to be made, broken down by financial year to 2028-29.

Part a) From the announced £12.5m, approximately £5.1m has been paid to date across the financial years of 2024-25, 2025-26 and in the first quarter of 2026-27.

Table 1 below breaks down the payments made to date, broken down by i) financial year ii) per project iii) per partner country. Note that the partner country allocations may not sum to total of grant in that year due to routine over- or underspend in the previous year.

TABLE 1

Financial Year	Project	Recipient Organisation (Grant-holder**)	Partner Country	Country allocation (£)
2024-25	Project 1: RISE	Link Education International (£900,000 paid in FY2024-25)	Malawi	273,185
			Rwanda	273,185
			Zambia	273,185
2024-25	Project 2: GIRLS	OXFAM GB (£729,573 paid in FY2024-25)	Malawi	210,534
			Rwanda	224,127
			Zambia	138,138
2025-26	Project 1: RISE	Link Education International (£1,432,957 paid in FY2025-26)	Malawi	411,349
			Rwanda	456,538
			Zambia	480,134
2025-26	Project 2: GIRLS	OXFAM GB (£975,000 paid in FY2025-26[JM1] )	Malawi	373,185
			Rwanda	413,213
			Zambia	361,735
2026-27 (to date)	Project 1: RISE	Link Education International (£753,616 paid for Q1 2026-27)	Malawi	253,367
			Rwanda	220,152
			Zambia	233,593
2026-27 (to date)	Project 2: GIRLS	OXFAM GB (£348,289) paid for Q1 2026-27)	Malawi	104,487
			Rwanda	104,487
			Zambia	104,487
Total paid to date		Total paid to grant holders Link and Oxfam = £5,139,435 Oxfam: £2,052,862 Link Education International: £3,086,573		£4,909,081 allocated to spend in partner countries
** Link Education International and OXFAM GB are the grant-holders for the RISE and GIRLS project respectively. Both organisations have local delivery agreements with partner organisations in Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia, who receive funding from the grant-holders. Detail on this is provided in response to PQ S7W-01967, which asks 'which organisations have received funding through the programme?'.

Part (b)

Approximately £7.2 million is currently scheduled to be paid from the announced allocation of £12.5m, comprising of approximately £4.2 million for the RISE project and £3m for the GIRLS project. Note that annual grant variation letters can reduce or increase the amount of grant payable in each financial year, depending on Parliamentary approval of Scottish Government budgets, and on routine in-year overspend or underspend.

Table 2 breaks down the payments scheduled to be made in remainder of FY 2026-27, and in the financial years 2027-28 and 2028-29. For ease, this is broken down per project, grant-holding organisation and partner country. Note that specific country allocations are estimates, and do not include management costs incurred by Oxfam and Link Education International with respect to their roles as lead organisations for each project.

TABLE 2

Financial Year	Project	Recipient Organisation (Grant-holder)	Partner Country	Country allocation (£)
2026-27 remaining payment	Project 1: RISE	Link Education International (LEI) (£946,384 to be paid)	Malawi	265,928
			Rwanda	299,699
			Zambia	313,109
2026-27 remaining payment	Project 2: GIRLS	OXFAM GB (£851,711 to be paid)	Malawi	281,065
			Rwanda	323,650
			Zambia	246,996
2027-28	Project 1: RISE	Link Education International (£1,700,000 to be paid)	Malawi	508,422
			Rwanda	522,804
			Zambia	522,804
2027-28	Project 2: GIRLS	OXFAM GB (£1,062,500 to be paid)	Malawi	350,625
			Rwanda	403,750
			Zambia	308,125
2028-29	Project 1: RISE	Link Education International (£1,650,000 to be paid)	Malawi	498,729
			Rwanda	513,543
			Zambia	513,543
2028-29	Project 2: GIRLS	OXFAM GB (£1,062,500 to be paid)	Malawi	350,625
			Rwanda	403,750
			Zambia	308,125
Totals to be paid	Oxfam: £2,976,711 Link Education International: £4,246,384		Malawi Rwanda Zambia	£6,935,292 allocated to partner countries