The Scottish Ministers, health boards, health board competent persons, local authorities and local authority competent persons must exercise their functions conferred by virtue of this Act in a manner which encourages equal opportunities and in particular the observance of the equal opportunities requirements.

In this section, “equal opportunities” and the “equal opportunities requirements” have the same meanings as those expressions have in section L2 of Part 2 of Schedule 5 to the Scotland Act 1998 (c. 46).