Engagement with Vocational Training Charitable Trust (VTCT) concerning qualifications for non-surgical procedures: FOI release
Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.
Information requested
1. All correspondence, emails, meeting records, minutes, notes, briefings and records of discussions between Scottish Government ministers or officials and VTCT from 1 January 2018 to the date of this request concerning aesthetics, injectable treatments, non-surgical cosmetic procedures, education, training, qualifications, assessment criteria, competency standards or SCQF levels.
2. All recorded information explaining the basis on which VTCT criteria were referenced in Annex 1 to FOI response 202600523109, including who supplied, checked, verified or approved the statement that VTCT criteria existed for the procedures listed.
3. Any recorded information concerning the VTCT ITEC Level 7 Diploma in Clinical Aesthetic Injectable Treatments, its entry requirements, its intended practitioner group, its relationship with the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners, the Cosmetic Practice Standards Authority or the JCCP Competency Framework, and any relevance attributed to it during development of the Scottish policy position.
4. Any recorded information showing whether VTCT has been invited, approached, consulted or considered in relation to developing, adapting, accrediting, awarding or delivering qualifications connected with the Non-surgical Procedures and Functions of Medical Reviewers (Scotland) Act 2026, its implementation or any secondary legislation made under it.
5. Any recorded information showing whether another awarding organisation has been invited, approached, consulted or considered for the same purpose, together with the process used or proposed for selecting or involving awarding organisations.
6. Any equality, competition, market-access or practitioner-impact assessment concerning qualification entry criteria that restrict access to registered healthcare professionals or exclude independent aesthetic practitioners.
7. Any recorded policy, assurance or decision stating that future qualification requirements will be developed through an open, transparent and non-exclusive process involving different awarding organisations and practitioner groups.
Response
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not hold all of the information you have requested.
For clarity, I have addressed each part of your request separately below:
1. All correspondence, emails, meeting records, minutes, notes, briefings and records of discussions between Scottish Government ministers or officials and VTCT from 1 January 2018 to 16 July 2026 concerning aesthetics, injectable treatments, non-surgical cosmetic procedures, education, training, qualifications, assessment criteria, competency standards or SCQF levels.
I can confirm that neither Scottish Ministers nor Scottish Government officials have corresponded or met with VTCT. As a result, the Scottish Government does not hold recorded information within the scope of this part of your request. Accordingly, this is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA.
2. All recorded information explaining the basis on which VTCT criteria were referenced in Annex 1 to FOI response 202600523109, including who supplied, checked, verified or approved the statement that VTCT criteria existed for the procedures listed.
I enclose a copy of some of the information you have requested. While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide all of the information you have requested because an exemption under Section 38(1)(b) of FOISA applies. This relates to personal information, and as such redactions have been applied clearly identifying the reason for the redaction. Wherever possible contextual information (such as the domain of email addresses) has been retained to assist understanding of the exchanges.
We are also unable to provide some of the information you have requested because exemptions under section 30(b)(ii) (free and frank exchange of views) of FOISA apply to that information. Exemption 30(b) (ii) applies because disclosure would, or would be likely to, inhibit substantially the free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation. The withheld information records candid discussions and opinions that were exchanged to inform policy development and decision-making. Disclosure would be likely to reduce the willingness of participants to engage openly and frankly in future discussions. This exemption is subject to the public interest test. We recognise that there is a public interest in openness, transparency and informing public debate about the development of policy. However, there is also a strong public interest in ensuring that officials and stakeholders can exchange views freely and frankly while options are being considered. In this case, we have concluded that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure.
3. Any recorded information concerning the VTCT ITEC Level 7 Diploma in Clinical Aesthetic Injectable Treatments, its entry requirements, its intended practitioner group, its relationship with the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners, the Cosmetic Practice Standards Authority or the JCCP Competency Framework, and any relevance attributed to it during development of the Scottish policy position.
The Scottish Government does not hold recorded information within the scope of this part of your request. Accordingly, this is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA.
4. Any recorded information showing whether VTCT has been invited, approached, consulted or considered in relation to developing, adapting, accrediting, awarding or delivering qualifications connected with the Non-surgical Procedures and Functions of Medical Reviewers (Scotland) Act 2026, its implementation or any secondary legislation made under it.
The Scottish Government does not hold recorded information within the scope of this part of your request. Accordingly, this is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA.
5. Any recorded information showing whether another awarding organisation has been invited, approached, consulted or considered for the same purpose, together with the process used or proposed for selecting or involving awarding organisations.
The Scottish Government does not hold recorded information within the scope of this part of your request. Accordingly, this is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA.
6. Any equality, competition, market-access or practitioner-impact assessment concerning qualification entry criteria that restrict access to registered healthcare professionals or exclude independent aesthetic practitioners.
The Scottish Government does not hold recorded information within the scope of this part of your request. Accordingly, this is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA.
7. Any recorded policy, assurance or decision stating that future qualification requirements will be developed through an open, transparent and non-exclusive process involving different awarding organisations and practitioner groups.
The Scottish Government does not hold recorded information within the scope of this part of your request. Accordingly, this is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA.
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
Contact
Please quote the FOI reference
Central Correspondence Unit
Email: contactus@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000
The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG