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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-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.

Question reference: S6W-41919

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 data on the uptake of vaccinations provided by NHS Highland teams and not GPs, whether GPs will be provided with immediate access to said data at the time of administering a vaccine, and, if not, by what means they will be able to know whether their patients have been vaccinated.

Question reference: S6W-41917

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 what estimate has been made of the extra costs of the continuance of a hybrid arrangement in NHS Highland for the delivery of vaccination services, with some provided by GPs and some by NHS Highland vaccination teams.

Question reference: S6W-42205

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government who prepares the influenza vaccination uptake statistics for NHS Highland, and whether it will publish all correspondence with the authors thereof.

Question reference: S6W-42203

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the level of uptake of the influenza vaccination has been in the NHS Highland area in (a) the current year to date, and (b) each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-42206

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ask NHS Highland to commit to provide to the public all data regarding the levels of uptake of influenza vaccination and to do so immediately upon that data becoming available.

Question reference: S6W-42204

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the most recent statistics on the level of uptake of the influenza vaccination, when NHS Highland received them; whether there has been a delay in making them public, and, if so, for what reason.