Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government does not currently have any plans to develop a standard post-diagnostic support pathway for ADHD. The National Neurodevelopmental Specification: Principles and Standards of Care for Children and Young People sets out the standards for all services to support children and young people with neurodevelopmental support needs, including ADHD. The Scottish Government is also working with the National Autism Implementation Team (NAIT) to develop national Adult Neurodevelopmental Pathways.

In addition, local authorities have duties under the Additional Support for Learning Act (Scotland) 2004 to identify, provide for and review the additional needs of their pupils. Under the Act an additional support need can arise for any reason and a diagnosis of ADHD is not required before support is put in place.

The Scottish Government is clear that support should be put in place to meet a child’s requirements when they need it. This includes community-based supports and where additional support is needed for learning. However, we recognise that in the case of ADHD, medication can be helpful, and a diagnosis is required to access this. We are working with Boards to ensure that children, young people and adults can access diagnostic services in a timely manner.

The Scottish Government does not currently have any plans to publish national service standards for ADHD assessment, treatment and support.

The National Neurodevelopmental Specification: Principles and Standards of Care for Children and Young People sets out the seven standards for all services to support children and young people with neurodevelopmental support needs, including ADHD.

The Specification takes a needs-based approach to providing neurodevelopmental support. It is underpinned by principles of GIRFEC and intended to be delivered by all children’s services partners through a multi-agency approach.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally.

However, we acknowledge that work is needed to improve the quality of data on neurodevelopmental support and services, including a better understanding of current levels of need and the level of support people currently receive.

We are working with Health Boards and local authorities to improve our understanding of the available data, and how this could be used to support improvements for adults, children and families.

The Scottish Ministers appointed inspectors of burial, cremation, and funeral directors under section 89 of the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 on 1 October 2023 and 1 October 2024. There is currently one Inspector of burial, cremation, and funeral directors.

In light of the introduction of the inspection regime set out in the Burial and Cremation (Inspection) (Scotland) Regulations 2025, a range of work is in progress to support the appointment of further Inspectors, including establishing the register provided for under regulation 3 of those Regulations, training for Inspectors and support materials for Inspectors.

The National Neurodevelopmental Specification: Principles and Standards of Care for Children and Young People sets out the seven standards for all services to support children and young people with neurodevelopmental support needs, including ADHD. The Scottish Government does not currently have any plans to publish specific minimum standards for ADHD post-diagnostic support.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-39413 on 6 August 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

Improving health and reducing health inequalities across Scotland remains a clear ambition for the Scottish Government. To help achieve this, Scottish Government is progressing a range of work to support the health and wellbeing of people across Scotland – both in local communities and online - with a focus on supporting groups most at risk of poorer health, including women and those facing socio-economic disadvantage.

The Scottish Government’s Population Health Framework, published in June, sets out a refreshed, cross-government and cross-sector approach to improving population health and tackling health inequalities, with a strong emphasis on prevention.

The Framework outlines actions across the whole system to ensure equitable access to health and care, create environments that support healthier lives, and make best use of the valuable resources within our communities and places. The actions will enable targeting of services to those who need it most, including addressing inequalities in vaccination and screening, health harming in preconception and pregnancy, and access to income maximisation pathways.

As part of this work, the Scottish Government has committed to developing a National Social Prescribing Framework for Scotland. This will set out a shared national approach, building on the success of existing models — such as the Government’s recruitment of 300 community link workers — and will aim to enhance equity of access. It will also align with wider efforts to address social isolation and loneliness including projects supported by the Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund.

Improving health outcomes and reducing health inequalities remains a central priority for the Scottish Government. To deliver this, Scottish Government is working closely with partners across sectors to advance women’s health and tackle the root causes of inequality—so that all women and girls in Scotland can enjoy the best possible health at every stage of their lives.

Scottish Government also recognises that child poverty and women’s poverty are inextricably linked. Meaningful progress in tackling child poverty can only be achieved by addressing the inequalities that women face. In recognition of the continued pressure on household budgets, the Scottish Government will maintain investment of over £3 billion in 2025–26 to support policies focused on tackling poverty and alleviating the rising cost of living.

As part of its commitment to addressing social and economic inequalities, Scottish Government has funded the recruitment of over 300 Community Link Workers and continues to fund Welfare Rights Advisers in more than 150 GP practices across deprived and remote communities. These advisers play a critical role in providing people with support on social security entitlements, income maximisation, and debt resolution.

Moreover, Scottish Government is driving systemic change through the Population Health Framework, co-authored with COSLA and published in June. This Framework outlines a comprehensive set of cross-sector actions aimed at improving population health, including promoting healthy behaviours, creating supportive environments, and strengthening community-based support systems.

Included within these actions, Scottish Government is improving access to income maximisation services, taking forward the Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Bill to support local economies, and will create a National Social Prescribing Framework to help ensure individuals receive practical, social, and emotional support to enhance their wellbeing.

Scottish Government officials continue to work closely with colleagues across the four UK nations to ensure cooperation and, where appropriate, alignment on vaccination policy, but we have received no specific information from the UK Government regarding measles deaths in England.

While Childhood immunisation rates in Scotland remain high, we are working with Public Health Scotland and the NHS to increase vaccination uptake in communities across the country. Measles is a highly infectious disease and can lead to serious and potentially life-threatening complications. The MMR vaccine is safe, and it is vital that all those eligible receive both doses of the vaccination, especially because of the current global threat of measles to international and domestic travellers.

The Scottish Government urges parents and carers to take their children to be vaccinated when invited to do so to enable them to be protected against serious disease, including measles, meningitis and pertussis.

The Scottish Government recognises the cumulative impacts of economic shocks including COVID-19 and the subsequent cost-of-living crisis have worsened health inequalities, and understands the impact that debt and money worries can have on mental health and wellbeing across the population.

Improving health and reducing health inequalities across Scotland remains a clear ambition for the Scottish Government. It is progressing a range of work to support the health and wellbeing of people across Scotland, with a focus on supporting groups most at risk of poorer health, including women and those facing socio-economic disadvantage.

In recognition of the continued pressure on household budgets, the Scottish Government will maintain investment of over £3 billion in 2025–26 to support policies focused on tackling poverty and alleviating the rising cost of living.

The Scottish Government’s Population Health Framework, published in June, sets out a refreshed, cross-government and cross-sector approach to improving population health and tackling health inequalities, with a strong emphasis on prevention. The Framework outlines actions across the whole system to improve socio-economic conditions through improving workforce participation, strengthening financial security and increasing local economic resilience.