- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to increase community engagement for strengthening Gaelic in communities, in light of reports that the post of Gaelic Development Officer at Community Land Scotland has been discontinued.
Answer
The Scottish Government has provided additional funding of £200k in 2021-22 and 2022-23 to Bòrd na Gidhlig to support the network of Gaelic Development Officers across Scotland. These officers are supporting the Gaelic communities by providing a range of c ommunity-based activities through a variety of different schemes.
The focus of Bòrd na Gidhlig’s evaluation review of the Community Land Scotland Gaelic Development Officer post is to develop, and put in place, a more comprehensive and sustainable framework for delivering community based developments in Ga elic . At the core of this framework is the move towards a multi year funding arrangement to better support the work of development officers and to strengthen the network of officers to maximise the benefit to their communities. There are currently a total of 58 officer posts that have been supported by the Bòrd in communities this financial year with an investment of over £1.1M.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the reasons for the post of Gaelic Development Officer at Community Land Scotland, which was established to extend the use of Gaelic within vernacular communities, reportedly being discontinued.
Answer
Community Land Scotland Gaelic Development Officer post was a pilot project that was run in partnership between Bòrd na Gidhlig and Community Land Scotland . This project is now being evaluated and the report is expected in February 2023. This evaluation report will help inform future funding initiatives in our Gaidhlig communities.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how any funding, which had been set aside for the Community Land Scotland Gaelic Development Officer, will be used to encourage community-based decision making for Gaelic development, in light of reports that the Gaelic Development Officer post has been discontinued.
Answer
The Community Land Scotland Gaelic Development Officer was a partnership arrangement between Bòrd na Gidhlig and Community Land Scotland and any funding is a matter for their decision-making processes.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is increasing the budget provisions to local authorities to enable them to provide the required nutritious school meals for children.
Answer
The 2023-24 budget has made provision for £185.8 million to be allocated to local authorities for free school meals.
All food and drink served in education authority and grant aided schools must meet the standards set out in the 'Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2020' to ensure that pupils receive a balanced and nutritious meal that supports healthy growth and development.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will bring forward the timetable for its planned expansion of free school meals to every primary school-aged child, in light of the cost of living crisis.
Answer
We remain committed to the expansion of universal free school meals in primary schools. In the Scottish budget for 2023-24, we announced additional investment of £16 million in revenue funding and £80 million in capital funding for free school meal expansion. This will continue to fund the next phase of our expansion, which will be targeted to Primary 6 and 7 pupils in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment, helping children most in need first. This will be the next step in fulfilling our commitment to universal provision of free school meals in primary schools.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with local authorities regarding the expansion of free school meals provision to universal provision for secondary school pupils.
Answer
The Scottish Government is in regular contact with COSLA regarding the expansion of free school meals.
As part of our planning with local authorities for free school meal expansion, we will consider the arrangements to pilot universal free school meals in secondary schools.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether there is a requirement on local authorities to provide a hot meal as part of school meals.
Answer
Local authorities and schools are required to ensure that all food and drink served in schools meets the nutritional standards set out in The Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2020. Further information about nutritional standards is available in our Healthy Eating in Schools guidance which is available on the Scottish Government's website through the following web link: Healthy eating in schools: guidance 2020 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).
There is no specific requirement for school meals to be hot although it would be difficult to meet the nutritional standards set out in the Regulations without providing hot options. The Regulations provide flexibility for local authority school caterers to design menus which meet local needs and circumstances. This would allow for example, more hot choices to be offered during the colder winter months and more cold options during warmer months.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether there is a legal obligation for local authorities to provide school meals to both those who qualify for free school meals as well as other pupils.
Answer
Section 53 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 provides that local authorities must provide, or secure the provision of, a school lunch free of charge to pupils who meet the eligibility criteria set out within that Act. The national eligibility criteria for free school meals is available through the following web link: School meals - mygov.scot.
In addition to this, free school lunches are available to all children in primaries 1 to 5 and in special schools. This applies to all schools either run by a local authority or which are directly funded through a Scottish Government grant. This policy is not set out in legislation and is delivered through a joint agreement between the Scottish Government and local authorities.
Local authorities also have the flexibility to make discretionary offers of free school meals to children and young people from families who do not meet the national eligibility criteria where they are experiencing financial hardship due to exceptional circumstances. There is nothing within legislation to say when such discretionary offers should be made, since we believe that local authorities should be given the maximum flexibility to consider each approach based upon its own individual circumstances.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 20 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many active working groups there are that fall under the remit of (a) rural affairs, (b) agriculture and (c) islands, and whether it will provide a list of these groups.
Answer
The Scottish Government works with a variety of stakeholders, who support and shape work on rural affairs, agriculture and islands. The input from our stakeholders is invaluable and plays a vital role in helping deliver our ambitions for rural areas and islands, and agriculture.
The number and make-up of these working groups varies in line with government priorities. Examples of current working groups which fall under the remits requested are provided in the following table:
a)Rural Affairs | b)Agriculture | c) Islands |
Potato Cyst Nematode working group Ministerial Horticultural Roundtable National Goose Management Review Group Feral Pig Co-ordination Group Scottish Government Statutory Group on Non-native species Bioenergy Policy Working Group Borders Working Group Plant and Tree Health (PATH) group Scotch Whisky Cereals Group Commission for the Land based Learning Review | Scottish Veterinary Service Programme Strategic Management Board for Veterinary Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board (ARIOB) Tenant Farming Advisory Forum (TFAF) The Monitor Farm Management meetings The Farm Advisory Service Management meetings The Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund Project Assessment Committee Farming Opportunities for New Entrants meetings | Islands Strategic Group Senior Officers Group National Islands Plan Delivery Group Convention of the Highlands and Islands Population Working Group Young Islanders Network CNI External Technical Working Group |
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 December 2022
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 22 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what it is doing to improve and maintain the road network in Scotland.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 22 December 2022
