Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Government remains committed to funding the expansion of free school lunches to all children in primary and special schools during the course of this parliament. We will also establish a pilot of the provision of free school lunches to secondary school pupils.

As the First Minister stated, during her statement to Parliament on our Programme for Government on 6 September, having delivered free school meals for all pupils in primary 1 to 5, we can now announce that we will start work with local authorities to extend universal provision to all pupils in primary 6 and 7. This work will be supported by £30 million of capital funding during this academic year to support the expansion of catering and dining facilities to accommodate increased uptake.

Where families do not meet the regular eligibility criteria for receiving free school meals, local authorities have the flexibility to make discretionary offers of free school meals where families are experiencing financial hardship due to exceptional circumstances. We would encourage any families experiencing difficulty with meeting the cost of school meals to contact their local council to enquire about what assistance may be available.

Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) makes clear the planning system should maintain a presumption against further marine finfish farm developments on the north and east coasts, and that local development plans, or supplementary guidance, should take account of Marine Scotland’s locational policies when identifying areas potentially suitable for new development and sensitive areas which are unlikely to be appropriate for such development.

All planning applications must be determined in accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. As a statement of Ministers’ priorities, the content of the SPP is a material consideration that carries significant weight, though it is for the decision-maker to determine the appropriate weight in each case.

We laid our fourth Draft National Planning Framework (NPF4) in parliament on 10 November 2021, including proposals for updated planning policy on aquaculture. Alongside Parliamentary scrutiny of the draft, we ran a public consultation, supported by an extensive engagement programme, with comments invited by 31 March 2022. Once approved and adopted, NPF4 will be part of the statutory development plan, and will replace Scottish Planning Policy. We are considering the broad range of views shared with us before laying a finalised NPF4 in the Scottish Parliament in the autumn.

The recent Programme for Government also commits to the development of a new National Marine Plan to address the global climate and nature crises and to supporting local authorities to guide development to the right places.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07063 on 4 May 2022. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

The extraction of peat for use in horticulture exacerbates the linked climate and nature crises. By stopping using peat in horticulture, the people of Scotland can play their part in our journey net zero and help tackle those crises which affect us all. We are mindful of the effects on both edible and ornamental horticulture and, through our forthcoming consultation and continuing work with industry, we aim for a smooth transition with minimal compromises for food production, environment and recreation.

We will soon launch our consultation, which will inform ambitious timescales for phasing out the use of peat in horticulture and we will seek diverse views to help us meet the needs of the people of Scotland.

Following the publication of the analysis of responses to the consultation on A New Deal for Tenants, the Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights met with Living Rent, alongside other key stakeholders, at a roundtable meeting on 25 August 2022.

The Minister also met with Living Rent on 6 September, as part of his one to one conversations with key stakeholders, immediately following the publication of the Programme for Government 2022-23. These meetings included discussions on proposals for rent controls, emergency cost of living measures to support tenants and a rent freeze.

As we move at pace to introduce emergency legislation to implement a rent freeze and moratorium on evictions, we will ensure a continued dialogue with a range of key stakeholders, including Living Rent.

There are numerous initiatives currently in operation across the country that enable children to walk, wheel and cycle to and from school, through our Active Travel Delivery Partners (ATDPs).

Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel event in April of this year had 360 schools across Scotland take part. The Sustrans' Ibike project sees dedicated officers provide a programme of classroom-based and outdoor learning, aligned to the Curriculumn for Excellence, tailored to the schools needs and reflecting the local area.

Cycling Scotland's Bikeability Scotland Cycling Training Scheme is available to all schools in all 32 Scottish local authorities. This training provides lifelong learning skills from how to balance on a bike to tackling roundabouts and junctions, where awareness of other road users and road position is crucial.

Living Streets coordinates the "WOW" project which encourages school children to walk once a week to school and provides schools, with both online and physical resources to encourage more walking, through an inter school competition. Over 130 schools took part in the WOW event at the end of the 2021-22 academic year.

However, it is the responsibility of the local roads authority to ensure that all road users are able to travel safely to their destination. To help deliver this, the Scottish Government is investing record levels of funding for active travel, and as part of our £150 million investment this year, £35 million goes directly to local authorities for Cycling, Walking and Safer Routes projects. Local authorities are also able to bid for further funding through our ATDPs, mainly Sustrans, for infrastructure projects, such as segregated walking, wheeling and cycling paths, including routes to schools .

The Scottish Government has no direct role in the provision of student accommodation nor any capacity within the private rental market. However, we are aware of the ongoing difficulties faced by students in accessing accommodation this academic year.

We are currently undertaking a review of Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) which will look at a number of issues, including affordability and supply and the findings from this report, along with findings from the New Deal for Tenants Report which considered similar issues in the private rented sector, will inform a student accommodation strategy for Scotland.

The information requested is provided in the tables entitled “Planning appeals allowed, broken down by planning authority and by year since 2007", a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre (Bib number 63605).

Individual Placement and Support assists people requiring more intensive support to enter and sustain employment. The Independent review has considered the current delivery landscape and outcomes achieved by this specialist employment support programme, and made recommendations to build on best practice as well as identifying areas for further improvement. The Scottish Government intends to publish the report of the Independent review of Individual Placement and Support (IPS) before the end of 2022.

Section 70 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 provides that any interested party can make a complaint to the Scottish Ministers that a responsible body has failed to discharge a statutory duty relating to education.

Following investigation of the complaint, Scottish Ministers may make an order declaring the responsible body to be in default of the duty and requiring them to discharge the duty by a specified date.

The complaint procedures do not provide an option for the complainant to consent to the publication of an unredacted version of the final decision they receive.