- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 17 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what categories of children will benefit from the Fruit Plus and Smart Card initiatives.
Answer
The Fruit Plus initiative is a Glasgow City Council/Greater Glasgow Health Board initiative. It aims to provide a piece of fruit three days a week for pre-school nurseries and primary schools in Glasgow. The funding and timescale of the initiative are a matter for the local authority and the health board. Smartcard initiatives are being introduced across a number of local authorities in Scotland, including developments in Aberdeen, Angus, Argyll and Bute and Glasgow that are supported through the Modernising Government Fund. The current focus of these developments is youth and education services, primarily secondary schools.A steering group chaired by the Scottish Executive with membership from local authority Chief Executives has been set up to put in place a framework for smartcards. Early tasks for the group will be to identify the categories of service most appropriate to smartcards, the likely costs of delivering smartcards and the timescale for such projects across the Scottish public sector.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 17 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what studies have been undertaken on the nutritional content of school meals.
Answer
In 1996, the Scottish Diet Action Plan Eating for Health made a number of recommendations and included nutritional guidelines targeted primarily at pre-school and school age children. Education authorities and schools have been implementing these recommendations to varying degrees. In February 1999 the Her Majesty's Inspectorate report Drug and Nutritional Education identified good practice and areas where action was needed. In addition, the Scottish Consumer Council and the Health Education Board for Scotland jointly published their research School Meals Service in Scotland, on 19 November which covers a number of issues. The Food in Schools Conference which was held in May 2001, and was supported jointly by the Scottish Executive, the Food Standards Agency, the Scottish Consumer Council and the Health Education Board for Scotland also reported on 19 November. The main outcome from the conference was agreement on the need for a national strategy for school meals to include standards for nutritional content and dining facilities within a framework which eliminates the stigma associated with free school meals. To take this agenda forward I recently announced, together with the Ministers for Health and Community Care and Social Justice, the establishment of an expert panel to make recommendations for wide ranging improvements in the delivery of school meals. Chaired by a Director of Education, the panel's remit will be provide Scottish ministers with fully costed recommendations, and an implementation and monitoring strategy to:Establish standards for the nutritional content of school mealsEliminate the stigma attached to free school meals and improve take upImprove the presentation of school mealsThe expert panel will include representatives from a wide range of sectors and stakeholders and it will operate in a consultative and participatory manner to ensure that the views of key groups such as parents, children and young people are taken into account. The panel is expected to report in the autumn of 2002.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 17 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how much money it is allocating to making improvements in the school meals system.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20232.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 17 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1600 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 30 September 1999, what reports it has received from HM Inspectorate of Education on nutritional standards for school meals.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20232.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 17 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how long the Fruit Plus and Smart Card initiatives for school children are expected to last.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20235.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 17 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1600 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 30 September 1999, to what extent the recommendations of the Scottish Diet Action Plan Eating for Health have been implemented in catering services for pre-school and school age children.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20232.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 17 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to its news release SE4376/2001 of 19 November 2001, whether the matters considered by the expert panel on school meals will include making school meals free for all school children.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20232.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 11 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-3993 by Sarah Boyack on 1 November 2001, whether it will ensure that Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority, as the promoting authority for the Partick Interchange project, will consult local residents and elected members as well as the groups it has already consulted.
Answer
Consultation on individual Public Transport Fund projects is a matter for the promoting authority, in this case Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority. However, I have been assured by the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority that a public consultation exercise is being planned once key legal and contractual issues have been resolved.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 11 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact there will be on patient services as a result of the current situation at the Beatson Oncology Unit and the North Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-19754 on 26 November 2001.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 11 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what initiatives are in place to encourage the development of swimming lessons for children.
Answer
As agreed at the debate on this issue on 24 May, an audit of current levels of swimming provision is under way. A questionnaire seeking a wide range of information has been sent to local authorities and will provide an up-to-date picture of opportunities available for school pupils. Responses are expected early this month. We will announce the findings of this survey and any subsequent action thereafter.