Meeting of the Parliament 19 March 2026 [Draft]
I do not intend to speak for very long.
At stage 2, I brought to the committee a concern and a national exemption on health grounds. My theory is that, in the Highlands and Islands—and, in fact, across the north-east—it is very common for people to have to travel for healthcare. They might travel from Moray down to Aberdeen or from the Western Isles to Raigmore hospital, and, as it stands, people travelling for a health appointment because they cannot get one near their own home will be required to pay the visitor levy. I do not think that that is fair or right.
The minister will say to me that councils have the ability to put in place an exemption so that such people do not have to pay. I thought that that was all well and good, apart from the fact that the City of Edinburgh Council has already put in place a visitor levy and it is my understanding that it did not put in place an exemption for healthcare.
It is entirely possible that, under the 2025 “NHS Scotland Operational Improvement Plan”, which the Government put in place to bring down waiting lists, somebody from the north-east or the Highlands and Islands will come down to the central belt to get treatment. If they require to stay in a hotel, they will have to pay the visitor levy.
It is perfectly reasonable that we should have a national exemption for national health service appointments for those in rural areas; otherwise, we are doing them an injustice. I hope that everybody in the chamber can get behind that.