Chamber and committees

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of people seeking a neurodevelopmental diagnosis and support, resulting in increased pressure across a range of services.

Recognising these pressures, last year the Scottish Government and COSLA undertook a review of the implementation of the National Neurodevelopmental Specification for Children and Young People. The Specification is clear that support should be put in place at the earliest opportunity on the basis of need, and should not wait for, or be dependent on, a formal diagnosis.

The review identified areas of good practice and areas where further action is required. It highlighted the significant pressures facing services and the need for clearer national direction and practical support to help deliver timely, neuro-affirming care across Scotland.

In response to these findings, the Scottish Government committed to a programme of work to support health boards and local authorities in delivering the aims of the Specification. This work is being supported by the cross-sector Children and Young People’s Neurodevelopment Taskforce, which brings together expertise from health, education, local government and the third sector to ensure a collaborative, whole-system approach to improving support and services for children and young people.

Improving access to support for people with neurodevelopmental support needs is a priority for this Government.

The Scottish Government is aware that some people who have received a private diagnosis of ADHD experience difficulties accessing medication through the NHS. Shared care was a key issue discussed at the second neurodevelopment summit convened by the Minister for Social Care and Mental Wellbeing and during the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee inquiry. The outcomes of these discussions will inform ongoing work to improve neurodevelopmental support.

We are committed to working with partners to explore options for shared care arrangements and to consider approaches that are proportionate, effective and meet the needs of both patients and clinicians. Guidance on prescribing ADHD medication to adults following a private-sector diagnosis in Scotland was also published by NAIT in April 2022.

Medication is one form of support for people with an ADHD diagnosis. Many people may also benefit from support available through community and education settings, which can be accessed on the basis of need and do not depend on a formal diagnosis.

There is an established body of UK and international evidence showing that gambling-related harm can have significant consequences for mental health, financial wellbeing and family and personal relationships. Gambling-related harms can affect not only people who gamble, but also families and others close to them.

Through funding from the UK Statutory Gambling Levy, the Scottish Government funded several exploratory projects in 2025-26 to help us understand more about the mental health impacts of gambling harms in Scotland’s communities. Key learning from across the range of projects was highlighted in a flash report published by the Health and Social Care Alliance (the ALLIANCE) in May 2026. We have made further funding available in 2026-27 through the Gambling Harms and Mental Health fund, administered by the ALLIANCE, to continue to support mental health focused work and develop this learning.

The UKRI Research Programme on Gambling is investing in a coordinated programme of independent research to strengthen the evidence base on gambling-related harms. Scottish Government will continue to work with partners to understand how to best prevent and treat gambling-related harms based on the available evidence.

The Scottish Government is today publishing the Health and Care Improving Flow Plan 2026-2031, delivering our commitment to publish a National Flow Plan within the first 100 days of this administration.

The Plan sets out our ambition for one connected system, simple routes to care, ensuring every person receives the most appropriate response as quickly as possible. It outlines action to improve navigation into care, expand home and community-based services, strengthen discharge arrangements, improve acute hospital flow, and tackle overcrowding and corridor care.

The Plan has been developed jointly with Scotland East and Scotland West Sub-National Planning Committees and informed through engagement with NHS Boards, Health and Social Care Partnerships, clinicians, national agencies, care providers and other partners. Detailed operational implementation arrangements an collaboration with partners will continue to be developed following publication.

The Plan can be accessed here: Health and Care Improving Flow Plan 2026-2031.

Through delivery of this Plan we will improve access to care, support more care closer to home, reduce delays and improve outcomes for people across Scotland.

Maree Todd: The Scottish Government expects educational establishments for all age groups to follow Public Health Scotland’s Health Protection Guidance to minimise the risk of transmission of infectious diseases, including measles.

Any measles outbreak in Scotland is managed through established local and national public health response arrangements. Where a suspected or confirmed case is identified in an educational setting, the relevant NHS Board, supported by Public Health Scotland, will provide advice and support on outbreak management, including public health actions as required.

Colleges and universities, as autonomous institutions, are responsible for their own operational arrangements for responding to incidents and reporting suspected cases of notifiable diseases.

The Scottish Government continues to promote uptake of the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine. Information on vaccinations and the importance of keeping vaccinations up to date is available through NHS Inform, Parent Club and Student Information Scotland. This includes advice on vaccines offered at secondary school, checking MMR vaccination status and arranging vaccination appointments through local GP practices.

Long-term declines in uptake are seen across immunisations across the UK 4-nations and beyond, with Scotland comparing favourably. The reasons are multifaceted and include attitudinal and behavioural, as well as structural, and are described here: Understanding and Addressing Declines in Childhood Immunisations - Understanding and Addressing Declines in Childhood Immunisations - Publications - Public Health Scotland

Immunisation uptake varies by NHS Board, local authority and a range of demographic factors, including deprivation, ethnicity, sex and urban-rurality, reflecting a range of interrelated demographic, behavioural and structural factors. In January 2026, the second MMR dose was brought forward from 3 years 4 months to 18 months, creating more opportunities for vaccination before school age. Ongoing improvement activity includes implementation of the five-year Scottish Vaccination and Immunisation Programme (SVIP) framework and regular engagement between Public Health Scotland and NHS Boards.

The Scottish Government supports strong alliances to tackle the availability of illicit vapes.

Officials meet regularly with the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland (SCOTSS) alongside HMRC, who work with Border Force, to take action to tackle the import of illicit tobacco and vaping products at the border.

Intelligence is also shared across the 4-nations as part of the Cross Government Vape Enforcement Committee, which is led by the UK Department of Business and Trade and includes representation from HMRC and Trading Standards.

HMRC, Border Force and the NCA are also valued members of Scotland’s Serious Organised Crime Taskforce (SOCT). The SOCT meets every three months to discuss current and emerging threats and agree where action is required by partners to disrupt serious organised crime.

HMRC also sit on the Multi Agency Tasking and Delivery Board (MATDB) based at the Scottish Crime Campus, Gartcosh. As part of the MATDB, HMRC takes part in the intensification periods organised under Operation Machinize which disrupts a range of criminal activity on the high street.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) publishes national measles case numbers on a weekly basis. Further information is available in the latest Immunisation and Vaccine Preventable Diseases Quarterly Report, which currently covers the period to March 2026. The next quarterly report, covering the period to the end of June 2026, will be published on 1 September 2026. A summary of trends is also provided in the annual publication Protecting the population of Scotland from vaccine preventable diseases: Vaccination and Immunisation Report - Publications - Public Health Scotland.

Scotland continues to experience relatively low levels of measles. While this is welcome, the small number of cases means that publishing more detailed information, such as NHS Board-level case numbers, hospital admissions, or whether infections were imported or locally acquired, could risk identifying individuals. For this reason, such breakdowns are not routinely published.

Information on MMR and MMRV vaccine uptake is published through the PHS Vaccination Surveillance Dashboard. Although uptake remains high in Scotland, there have been long-term declines, consistent with trends seen elsewhere. Work is ongoing at both national and local levels to improve uptake and reduce inequalities. For example, the five-year Scottish Vaccination and Immunisation Programme Framework sets out priorities to improve vaccine uptake and reduce vaccine-preventable disease, while bi-monthly liaison meetings between PHS and NHS Boards provide opportunities to review local data and address operational challenges.

The Scottish Government's Central Communications Division works with Media Planning and Buying Framework agencies to plan and buy media that delivers reach, frequency and engagement for each campaign's target audience.

As part of the development of the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 (2026 Act), a UK wide impact assessment was published by UK Government. Scottish Government contributed to the development of this impact assessment.

Scottish Statutory Instruments resulting from the 2026 Act will be supported by relevant impact assessments as part of our usual policy development process. This includes the Children’s Rights and Wellbeing impact assessment, which would cover the appeal and accessibility of these products to children.

The Scottish Government published a partial Business Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) on Display, alongside the "Tobacco and Vapes - Packaging, Appearance and Display consultation", for Scotland. This considers the impacts of proposed restrictions on adults using vaping products as a smoking cessation aid and impacts on businesses, including those which predominantly sell vapes.

Responses to the consultation and the partial BRIA will be used to support the development of any potential regulations on the display of relevant products. Any subsequent regulations in Scotland will be informed by a final BRIA.

The partial BRIA can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/display-restrictions-products-prices-herbal-smoking-products-heated-tobacco-devices-vaping-nicotine-products-scotland-partial-business-regulatory-impact-assessment/

The UK-wide consultation can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/tobacco-and-vapes-packaging-appearance-and-display/tobacco-and-vapes-packaging-appearance-and-display#how-to-respond