Chamber and committees

We recognise the importance of improving awareness and understanding of postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) among healthcare professionals. We have worked with Public Services Delivery Scotland (previously NHS Education for Scotland) to develop educational resources that support earlier recognition of autonomic disorders and promote consistent, evidence-informed care across primary and secondary settings.

Expertise in managing dysautonomia conditions, including PoTS, exists within local and regional clinical services across NHS Scotland. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published clinical guidance on the management of blackouts and syncope, which assists clinicians across the UK in best practice assessment and diagnosis of PoTS.

NHS Inform also provides accessible public information on PoTS, including symptoms, causes, diagnosis and approaches to management. This supports improved awareness among patients and families and helps enable self-management alongside clinical care: Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) | NHS inform

Responsibility for service delivery rests with NHS boards, which configure services based on local circumstances and the needs of their populations, including through remote consultations and cross-Board referral pathways where these provide the most effective route to specialist input.

It is an offence under Section 2 of Aquaculture and Fisheries (Scotland) Act 2007 (‘the 2007 Act’) if an aquaculture business fails to comply with the requirements of the Fish Farming Businesses (Reporting) (Scotland) Order 2020 in respect of sea lice counts, without an appropriate explanation, or to knowingly provide any information which is false in a material particular. An offence under Section 2 of the 2007 Act is punishable on summary conviction by a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale.

The Fish Health Inspectorate (FHI) take potential regulatory breaches seriously, and the 2007 Act provides for inspectors to inspect premises, examine and take copies of records, and as certain levels of parasites, as part of desk-based or on-site investigations, as required, depending on what may be proportionate to the suspected offence.

It was concluded that no offence had been committed on the basis that a reasonable excuse had been provided for not submitting a sea lice count. Legal obligations regarding reporting guidance were strongly emphasised to the operator in this case, in line with the FHI’s Service Charter.

I refer the Member to the Answer to Question S6W-44434 on 20 March 2026. 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/questions-and-answers

The Scottish Government has not undertaken any specific recent assessment of the adequacy of GP training on postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS).

Public Services Delivery Scotland (PSD Scotland, previously NHS Education for Scotland) supports GP education and training. Its learning platform ‘Turas’ includes training resources on autonomic nervous system dysfunction, including the recognition of symptoms and approaches to management. These resources are accessible to a multidisciplinary audience, including GPs.

PSD Scotland also develops Practice Based Small Group Learning modules for primary care. Topics are identified through an annual survey of practitioners, with the most frequently requested subjects taken forward for development.

The most significant delay to the programme of migrations was caused by the administration of In Practice Systems Ltd (INPS) in December 2024, which resulted in migrations being paused for a prolonged period during which no migrations could take place.

Careers support is provided to school-age pupils through teaching in the curriculum, access to professional careers advisers, Developing the Young Workforce(DYW).and specialist additional support is available as required.

The Scottish Government expects all public bodies subject to the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) to comply with their obligations as set out under the Equality Act 2010. The PSED should be factored into the exercise of all duty bearers’ functions, including policy development and implementation.

Responsibility for enforcement and compliance rests with the courts and the Equality and Human Rights Commission, as the regulator of the Act, and who operates independently and cannot be directed by Scottish Ministers.

The Scottish Government published proposals to enable better performance of PSED in Scotland over a four-year period in its Regulation 12 Report 2025-2029 in December 2025. This includes actions intended to increase understanding of PSED in the public sector. At the same time, we also launched the Equality and Human Rights Mainstreaming Toolkit an online resource to support duty bearers to integrate equality and human rights across their core functions.

The Scottish Government completely rejects UK Conservative Party proposals to scrap the Equality Duty. We are clear this would roll back rights and fail minority groups.

Public bodies in Scotland, as both employers and service providers, are required to comply with all relevant legal obligations, including the Equality Act 2010. The Scottish Government expects all public bodies to ensure that its policies and practices are legally compliant, taking account of the UK Supreme Court judgment and their own legal advice.

We are continuing to work with NHS Boards, local authorities, COSLA, the third sector and other delivery partners to improve access to neurodevelopmental support for children, young people and adults across Scotland.

For children and young people, this includes continuing our work with COSLA and the Children and Young People’s Neurodevelopment Taskforce to deliver on the actions set out in the implementation review of the National Neurodevelopmental Specification for Children and Young People.

For adults, we will also ensure we work with partners across Scotland to take forward the proposals from the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland’s 4-tier national pathway for neurodevelopmental conditions; ensuring anyone with or without a formal neurodevelopmental diagnosis can access the support they need when and where they need it.

In 2025 we launched the next phase of our £2.5m multi-year Autistic Adult Support Fund, which aims to help support autistic adults within communities and improve their wellbeing.

Additional funding in 2025/26 of over £2.9 million is also being used to deliver a range of projects aimed at improving access to neurodevelopmental support.

Each Cabinet Secretary is responsible for delivery of major infrastructure projects within their portfolio, with collective oversight through Cabinet to ensure alignment with the Scottish Government’s overall infrastructure priorities.

There are specific guidelines in place in every local authority area in Scotland for the disposal of sharp household items, including knives, to ensure safety. Neither local authorities nor Police Scotland have raised concerns about the current policy and approach – and have not reported a heightened risk to public safety arising from the disposal of household knives. More broadly, the Scottish Government is supporting a range of programmes such as No Knives, Better Lives, in our schools and in the wider community, to educate young people in particular about the dangers of carrying a knife.