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The Scottish Government is fully committed to ensuring that the NHS in Scotland delivers high-quality, safe and effective, person-centred care. The Phenylketonuria (PKU) service in Scotland is part of the Inherited Metabolic Disorders (IMD) service commissioned by NHS National Services Scotland through NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. The service operates under an established Standard Operating Policy (SOP) designed to ensure compliance with recognised clinical standards and best practice across the UK and Europe. It is for clinicians, in consultation with patients, to discuss and agree the best treatment options, based on clinical guidance and individual circumstances and needs.

The Scottish Government is fully committed to ensuring that the NHS in Scotland delivers high-quality, safe and effective, person-centred care. The Phenylketonuria (PKU) service in Scotland is part of the Inherited Metabolic Disorders (IMD) service commissioned by NHS National Services Scotland through NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. The service operates under an established Standard Operating Policy (SOP) designed to ensure compliance with recognised clinical standards and best practice across the UK and Europe. It is for clinicians, in consultation with patients, to discuss and agree the best treatment options, based on clinical guidance and individual circumstances and needs.

We recognise the impact of technology in helping children and young people manage their type 1 diabetes. This is why we have invested over £50 million in diabetes technology since 2016, prioritising access for children and young people.

The funding we are providing ensures that every child or young person in Scotland with Type 1 diabetes who wants to use a hybrid closed loop system can access one. As of September 2025, 77% of under-18s with Type 1 diabetes have access, and every child or young person should have received at least a referral. This paediatric focus helps prevent complications early and get the most out of this life changing technology.

The Scottish Government Executive Committee, settled on implementing 40% in-person working over a working month, for staff in core directorates. This target was settled on following an internal review of evidence from a number of sources. The aim is to spend 40% of contracted hours working in-person with colleagues and/or stakeholders or other settings from 27 October 2025. The 40% target is averaged over a four-week period and is a target not a mandate.

The Scottish Government has no current plans to publish a national audit of diagnostic pathways for paediatric diabetes.

Diagnosis of diabetes in children is a clinical responsibility and is carried out in line with national clinical guidance. Current NICE guidance recommends that any child displaying symptoms of type 1 diabetes is referred immediately to paediatric diabetes services for assessment and diagnosis.

Scotland has a system-level approach to quality improvement in diabetes care. Rather than relying on standing national audits, this approach is based on a single national clinical information system in the form of SCI-Diabetes, annual national reporting through the Scottish Diabetes Survey, and improvement led through Managed Clinical Networks with national oversight provided by the Scottish Diabetes Group. This model embeds data collection within routine clinical care and supports continuous improvement and local accountability.

Quality improvement activity, including review of diagnostic practice and local pathway effectiveness, is best led by NHS Boards and clinicians who are responsible for service delivery and can take account of local population need and service challenges.

The Scottish Government continues to work with the Scottish Diabetes Group and Managed Clinical Networks to support early diagnosis, consistent application of clinical guidance, and reduction of avoidable harm, through education, data-driven improvement and national oversight.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of ensuring that parents and carers receive clear and consistent information about symptoms that may indicate type 1 diabetes in children.

Responsibility for providing advice and discussing symptoms lies with clinicians, who are expected to follow established clinical guidance and ensure families receive accurate information tailored to individual circumstances. We encourage parents and carers to urgently contact their GP if their child is displaying symptoms of diabetes, as they are best placed to provide specific advice and support.

To support this, we fund and promote a range of trusted resources:

• NHS Inform, Scotland’s national health information service, provides accurate and up-to-date information on identifying, treating and managing diabetes. The diabetes pages were reviewed by clinicians in 2025 and updated where appropriate.
• My Diabetes My Way, Scotland’s interactive self-management platform, offers NHS-accredited eLearning resources and personalised tools to help families understand diabetes care.
• DigiBete, a digital tool designed for children and young people which provides age-appropriate educational videos, milestone-based learning modules, and practical tools in multiple languages.

We also work closely with Diabetes Scotland and other third-sector partners to promote awareness and peer support, ensuring families have access to practical advice alongside clinical guidance.

Through the Scottish Diabetes Group and its subgroups, we continue to deliver the commitments set out in the Diabetes Improvement Plan, including improving knowledge and confidence in primary care teams to ensure consistent messaging across Scotland.

Under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984, Local Authorities have a duty to manage and maintain local roads in their area to ensure the safe, convenient, and efficient movement of traffic. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to managing local roads, which is why decisions must be made based on specific local needs. It is not the role of Scottish Ministers to intervene in the day-to-day performance of these local road, local footway, and local grit provision duties.

We are, as you would expect, working closely with Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council during the current severe weather. Mutual aid from Transport Scotland’s road operators Amey and BEAR has already been provided to Aberdeenshire Council including a total of 12 snow blowing and clearing assets currently operating out of Ellon and used for winter response operations.

I want to thank everyone who has worked so hard, day and night, to keep Scotland open and moving in this period of recovery. Public services have been collaborating well in sharing information and vehicles, while I have heard of truly exceptional efforts by farmers, volunteers and members of the public offering to clear local roads, dig out cars and keep people safe.

Community resilience has been strong but for many this has been a long period in sever snow conditions, with levels of snow not seen for many years.

Since October 2025, there have been no formal complaints raised with HR by staff regarding the hybrid working arrangements.

The Scottish Government does not routinely undertake this type of analysis and has no plans to do so. The Scottish Transport Statistics are published yearly with chapters on freight moved by mode and with data on tonnages and distance.

The Scottish Government fully supports driver education as an alternative to prosecution where appropriate, understanding how these courses can positively influence behaviour and align with our long-term goal of reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on Scotland’s roads. It’s important to note that we are not only looking to bring in speed awareness courses but a full suite of courses aimed at lower-level offences where the aim is behaviour change rather than punishment.

We have undertaken an in-depth review of all of the leading studies in this area. For example a three year evaluation, previously published by DfT, found that course participation reduced the likelihood of reoffending within six months by up to 23%. It further highlighted that the course was more effective in reducing speed reoffending than the penalty points and fines typically associated with fixed penalty notices for eligible drivers. This positive impact appeared to persist for up to three years following participation. Although a direct link to a reduction in road traffic collisions was not established, it was determined that the speed awareness courses contributed to reduced reoffending rates, and it is reasonable to anticipate that course participation encourages safer driving behaviours, indirectly lowering future collision risks.

Additionally, in 2023, the Transport Research Laboratory conducted an evaluation of the majority of National Driver Offending Retraining Scheme (NDORS) courses, which found that overall the courses are having a positive impact on the various behaviours they target.