The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.
All Official Reports of meetings in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
All Official Reports of public meetings of committees.
Displaying 1196 contributions
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 8 March 2023
Michael Marra
The adjustment is to the threshold for obtaining free school meals. I wonder why we are not adjusting income thresholds more substantially, in line with inflation. Has the Government considered that, given the challenges that families face? I am concerned about the threshold for access. Will the committee consider making representations to the Government about that?
09:30Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 1 March 2023
Michael Marra
The Government is preparing the strategy that we have talked about and, clearly, there will be costs associated with delivering that strategy to transform outcomes in transitions. In your meetings with ministers, did they outline what they thought the costs of that would be in a way that would be comparable with the costs that you have outlined?
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 1 March 2023
Michael Marra
You will have watched the evidence that ministers gave us last week. For me, the thrust of that was that a strategy is coming. Do you think that we should wait until that is published to see what is in it and whether it works?
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 1 March 2023
Michael Marra
There is huge frustration, which I hear from Pam Duncan-Glancy and Bill Scott, as well as from the committee, in relation to the delivery and what is going to make change happen. I suppose that that goes to the nub of the discussion today.
Earlier this week, I had a meeting with a council chief executive, who said that they are now in a position in which they can do nothing that is not required of them by law. Is that the situation that disabled people face?
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 22 February 2023
Michael Marra
My question is regarding the exceptional circumstances that you laid out to Ruth Maguire for the challenge authorities where you have cut the funding for the poorest communities. Dundee City Council sets its budget tomorrow. Has there been an application for exceptional circumstances from that council or any of the other challenge authorities?
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 22 February 2023
Michael Marra
Your answers have been really useful, Scott.
I am a little worried by your comments about the quality of plans, some of which might be poor. Do you recognise that, at the moment, many young people simply do not have plans? The current approach has not really worked in that regard. Would it be a step forward to insist that they should first have such plans and then their quality can be worked on after the event?
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 22 February 2023
Michael Marra
I think that it was Scott Richardson-Read who said that non-legislative approaches should be prioritised first. How long would you give that?
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 22 February 2023
Michael Marra
Thank you.
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 22 February 2023
Michael Marra
You have.
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 22 February 2023
Michael Marra
It is useful to have clarity on that mechanism and that it is an in-year process prior to the budget being set. For clarity, Dundee’s budget for this has been cut by £4.9 million, for the poorest community in the country.