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Under an MoU with JMSC (Joint Maritime Security Centre), the amount of dedicated fishery protection manned fixed wing flying hours remains at 200 hours per annum. There is therefore no impact on dedicated fishery surveillance. Additionally, the use of Remote Piloted Aircraft Surveillance from the Scottish Government’s Marine Protection Vessels supplements fishery surveillance as does the expansion of Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) on Scallop dredge and pelagic vessels.

While we have not specifically assessed the psychosocial impact of living with fluctuating conditions such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, the Scottish Government is committed to ensuring people with long-term conditions receive safe, effective, person-centred care, including appropriate psychosocial support. NHS Boards are expected to follow best practice in delivering this care.

We are currently developing a Long Term Conditions Framework to inform future approaches to prevention, diagnosis and care, including mental health and wellbeing support.

We are also considering the message of Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Week 2025 and will reflect this in future planning.

As of 30 November 2025, uptake of the adult flu vaccine in NHS Highland is 45.2% (69,285 vaccinations administered).

For winter 2024-25, NHS Highland adult flu vaccination uptake was 53.4% and in winter 2023-24 it was 52.8%. The figures for 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26 can all be found at: PHS Vaccination Surveillance.

Uptake for child flu vaccinations by Health Board level is not published by Public Health Scotland via PHS Vaccination Surveillance.

We recommend contacting NHS Highland’s Immunisation Team directly, as they may be able to provide you with additional data.

Public Health Scotland is responsible for preparing influenza vaccination uptake statistics for NHS Highland, as well as all of the other territorial Health Boards.

The Scottish Government does not envisage that there will be any discernible impact on patients resulting from changes to Part IX of the UK Drug Tariff. The Scottish Government uses the UK Drug Tariff to populate medical device listings and pricing, which are then organised into different parts of the Scottish Drug Tariff. There will be no change to availability of existing medical devices available to be prescribed to patients in NHS Scotland.

The Scottish Government is committed to enabling individuals/workers at all stages of their careers to retrain and enhance their capabilities in artificial intelligence (AI) and information technology. This commitment is delivered through a comprehensive suite of interventions, including funding administered by Skills Development Scotland, strategic investment in colleges and universities, the expansion of digital apprenticeships, and targeted support for data and AI skills development through initiatives such as The Data Lab.

As set out in the Programme for Government 2025-26, the Scottish Government will establish AI Scotland — a national transformation programme underpinned by collaboration across businesses, academia, government, and public bodies. A central component of this programme is the development of a national AI adoption framework for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This will focus on building delivery capacity, assessing and addressing AI-related skills requirements, and strengthening Scotland’s AI talent pipeline to facilitate workforce reskilling and adaptation as AI technologies reshape employment and the wider economy.

The Scottish Government welcomes the theme of Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Week 2025, How it feels, and values the work of charities like Crohn’s and Colitis UK in highlighting the challenges of managing often invisible symptoms.

We are committed to a person-centred approach across all health and care services, including those supporting people with inflammatory bowel disease. Our policy focuses on understanding individual needs and enabling outcomes that matter to people, helping them live well on their terms. We are currently developing a new Long Term Conditions Framework, shaped by lived experience engagement.

Publicly available influenza vaccine uptake data is published every Thursday, by Public Health Scotland (PHS), via PHS Vaccination Surveillance. Publication of influenza uptake data by eligible cohort group began on Thursday 23 October. Publication of uptake for each of the 14 Health Boards began on Thursday 27 November.

NHS Highland, along with the other territorial Health Boards, have access to a range of management information data that is updated each Tuesday by PHS. This has been available to the Health Boards since Tuesday 23 September.

Public Health Scotland is responsible for preparing influenza vaccination uptake statistics.

Adult influenza vaccine uptake data is publicly available via PHS Vaccination Surveillance and is updated every Thursday. This includes uptake data for each of the 14 Health Boards, including NHS Highland, which has been publicly available since 27 November.

Child influenza uptake data is also available via PHS Vaccination Surveillance for each cohort but is not broken down by Health Board.

The Scottish Government welcomes IBD UK’s report Crohn’s and Colitis Care in Scotland: A Vision for Change and values its contribution to improving care for people living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

We are committed to ensuring that people living in Scotland with long term conditions like IBD, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and person-centred.

Actions which the Scottish Government is taking include:

• An Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal Plan The Recovery and Renewal Plan - Endoscopy and urology diagnostic: recovery and renewal plan - gov.scot backed by £70 million. The plan focuses on key areas such as: Balancing Demand and Capacity; Workforce Training and Development; Infrastructure; and Innovation and Redesign.
• Funding the Modernising Patient Pathways Programme (MPPP) with a specific workstream continuing to promote improvements in IBD care which is being taken forward through the MPPP’s National Gastroenterology Speciality Delivery Group (SDG). They have developed a national IBD pathway for NHS Scotland which was published in January 2025: inflammatory-bowel-disease-ibd-pathway.pdf. The SDG is also developing a lower gastrointestinal pathway which will provide primary care guidance about testing and diagnosis for people with IBD in Scotland.
• Developing a new Long Term Conditions Framework to better recognise that many people living with long term conditions share similar needs and may benefit from the same types of support and care, regardless of their condition.

We will continue to work with clinicians, patients, and third sector partners to improve services and outcomes for those living with IBD.