Date published: 13/07/2026

Please treat this as a request for recorded information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

This request concerns contact between the Scottish Qualifications Authority and the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners, Professor David Sines, or any related person or body concerning aesthetic qualifications, non-surgical cosmetic procedures, training standards, accreditation, or qualification pathways.

Please provide the following recorded information, held in any form, including emails, letters, meeting notes, minutes, briefing notes, calendar entries, internal memoranda, attachments and Teams or equivalent messages.

All correspondence between the Scottish Qualifications Authority and the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners, or Professor David Sines, between 1 January 2024 and the date of this request concerning:

a. aesthetic qualifications;
b. non-surgical cosmetic procedures;
c. training standards;
d. qualification frameworks;
e. accreditation;
f. recognition of prior learning;
g. training or qualification pathways for independent aesthetic practitioners;
h. training or qualification pathways for healthcare professionals;
i. the Non-surgical Procedures and Functions of Medical Reviewers (Scotland) Bill or Act.

All meeting notes, calendar entries, agendas, minutes or briefing notes relating to any meeting between the Scottish Qualifications Authority and the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners, Professor David Sines, or any JCCP representative during the same period.
Any internal Scottish Qualifications Authority communications, briefing notes, risk assessments, policy notes or advice documents referring to the JCCP in connection with non-surgical cosmetic procedures, aesthetic qualifications, standards, accreditation, or future Scottish training requirements.
Any records showing whether the Scottish Qualifications Authority considered or discussed the position of independent aesthetic practitioners, non-healthcare practitioners, beauty-sector practitioners, or practitioners without statutory healthcare registration when considering aesthetic qualification standards or pathways.

If the same, or a substantially similar, request has been sent by another person or organisation, please treat this request separately. I am seeking disclosure of recorded information held by the Scottish Qualifications Authority and do not wish this request to be refused or administratively closed on the basis that a related request may have been received from another requester.

Please treat each numbered item as severable. If any part of this request is likely to exceed the statutory cost limit, please provide advice and assistance under section 15 of FOISA and confirm which parts can be answered within the limit. Please do not refuse the whole request if a narrower search or reduced date range would allow partial disclosure.
 

The information we hold is attached.

There are five emails that are relevant to the request within the time period provided. With one of the emails there is an attached document entitled “Paper 3 Standards for Licensing – Education and Training”.

One of the emails it states that JCCP wrote to Fiona Robertson, CEO of SQA “some three weeks ago”. However, Fiona had left her post prior to that and we have been unable to locate any correspondence for that. We should also point out that the meeting mentioned in another of the emails was an informal meeting and there were no minutes taken.

Please note that we have removed the names of our staff below Head of Service level along with the names and of people from outwith our organisation as these are considered personal information and exempt under section 38(1)(b).

Email Redacted (305 KB)

Paper 3 Standards for Licensing - Education and Training Redact (353 KB)ed