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Information on local authority instrumental music tuition charges can be found at the attached links:

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Education/Schools/curriculum/InstrumentalMusic/ImplementationGroup

On 5 January 2015, free school meals were extended to primary 1 to 3 children in Scotland to help ensure every child has the best possible start in life and gets every chance to succeed at school. The policy has had a huge take up with latest figures showing that over 134,500 primary 1 to 3 children (81.7%) across all 32 local authorities in Scotland are taking a nutritious free school meal, saving families around £380 a year for each eligible child. The Scottish Government is fully funding this policy and is providing £54 million revenue funding in 2016-17, building on the £70.5 million of revenue funding provided over 2014-16 and the £24.8 million of capital funding which was provided to support implementation.

<>There are nearly 1,800 children and young people engaging regularly with the three established Sistema Scotland Big Noise centres. Big Noise Raploch works with almost 500 children and young people on a regular basis, Big Noise Govanhill works with almost 800 children and Big Noise Torry works with almost 500 children and young people. In addition to the Big Noise orchestras attended by children, Sistema Scotland run Baby Noise and Adult Noise programmes which enable the Sistema Scotland programme to reach across the communities where they are based.

Based on the methods of Venezuela’s ‘El Sistema’ movement, Sistema Scotland develop orchestra centres which are known in the community as ‘Big Noise’. The Scottish Government is supporting Sistema Scotland over the next four years with £2.5million investment to extend the programme's reach at the Big Noise Centres at Raploch, Govanhill and Torry. The four-year funding package will enable the youth orchestra programme to sustain and build on its work to enhance the health, wellbeing and prospects of young people in parts of Stirling, Glasgow and Aberdeen. The funding breakdown of the Scottish Government's support over the next four years is as follows though a breakdown for each centre is not available:-

2016-17	£415,000
2017-18	£455,000
2018-19	£780,000
2019-20	£850,000

<>Information about the number of families who have qualified for free school meals is not held centrally. However, latest statistics on free school meals were published on 22 June 2016 in the Scottish Government statistics publication - Summary statistics for attainment, leaver destinations and healthy living, No. 6: 2016 Edition. Table 1 in the accompanying supplementary data, provides details of the number of children and young people in primary, secondary and special school registered for free school meals in each year from 2007. This can be accessed at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/MealsSD/mealspesd/mealspesd2016.

We are undertaking a data transformation project for children in early learning and childcare to ensure we have data that reflects recent policy changes and ongoing transformation. This includes looking at free school meal uptake in early learning and childcare as increasing flexibility results in more children attending during lunch times. In addition, under the Education (Scotland) Act 2016, children receiving their funded entitlement to early learning and childcare at partner providers are now eligible for a free school meal where they meet the criteria and have a session in the middle of the day. This will also need to be added to our consideration of data collections and analysis once this part of the Act is fully commenced in 2017 (this can currently be delivered on a voluntary basis by local authorities).

The Scottish Government has regular discussions on a wide range of subjects with Creative Scotland but has not recently discussed specific support for contemporary musicians. Occasionally musicians write to the Scottish Government about opportunities for support for them and they are directed to Creative Scotland's advice service.

The Property Factors (Scotland) Act 2011 requires Scottish Ministers, when determining whether a property factor is fit and proper, to consider whether the factor, or any relevant person connected with the factor:

has been convicted of any offence involving fraud or other dishonesty, violence or drugs;

has any court or tribunal judgments against them under the Equalities Act 2010, the Equal Pay Act 1970, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Race Relations Act 1976, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 and the Employment Equality (Religion Or Belief) Regulations 2003;

has contravened any provision of the law relating to tenements, property or debt.

As the Act does not give Scottish Ministers specific investigatory powers their ability to monitor the effectiveness of the fit and proper test is limited. Within those limits, Scottish Ministers consider any relevant information provided by the property factor or a third party and will take steps to review an entry on the register if they have reasonable grounds to suspect that information provided is, or has become, inaccurate. They may also require the person to provide a criminal conviction certificate as evidence to support the information provided in the application.

<>The Homeowner Housing Panel (HoHP) is an independent tribunal established under the Property Factors (Scotland) Act 2011 (the Act) to deal with disputes between homeowners and property factors. The Act came into force on 1 October 2012.

Information on the number of property factor enforcement orders issued each year by the HoHP is included in its annual report which is laid before the Scottish Parliament. The reports are published at: https://hohp.scotland.gov.uk/who-we-are-hohp/annual-reports.

<>The Scottish Government does not intend to introduce a fee for homeowners to apply to the Homeowner Housing Panel.

As part of numerous industry forums, both current (Rutherglen junction) and planned (Carstairs junction) enhancements to the west coast main line are regularly discussed with operators.

Indeed, the working group and board of the Scotland route study, at which both transport Scotland and cross-border train operating companies are represented, has regularly looked at future demand projections and potential investment for each of the main corridors in Scotland, including the west coast main line.