- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what it estimates the ongoing annual cost of providing free school breakfasts for all primary school pupils will be.
Answer
Breakfasts are being provided across Scotland by a range of service providers including public, private and third sector. We are working with local authorities and key stakeholders to better understand and map existing provision. This will help us develop a plan for breakfast provision, designed around the needs of children and families, which will include estimated costs.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what it estimates the infrastructure cost will be for the implementation of free school breakfasts for all primary school pupils, and which body will be responsible for meeting any such cost.
Answer
Breakfasts are being provided across Scotland by a range of service providers including public, private and third sector. We are working with local authorities and key stakeholders to better understand and map existing provision. This will help us develop a plan for breakfast provision, designed around the needs of children and families, which will include estimated costs and appropriate delivery models.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has committed for the introduction of free school breakfasts for all primary school pupils.
Answer
The Scottish Government is not providing specific ring-fenced funding for breakfasts in schools in this financial year. However, a number of local authorities use Scottish Government funding to support breakfast provision in their local area in partnership with public, private and third sector providers.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will fully implement the provision of free school breakfasts for all primary school pupils.
Answer
The Scottish Government has committed to develop plans to deliver free breakfasts to all primary and special school children. Breakfasts are being provided across Scotland by a range of service providers including public, private and third sector. We are working with local authorities and key stakeholders to better understand and map existing provision. This will help us develop a plan for breakfast provision, designed around the needs of children and families, which will include delivery timescales.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government by what date work on introducing free school breakfasts for all primary school pupils must begin for the scheme to be introduced before the end of the current parliamentary session.
Answer
Breakfasts are being provided across Scotland by a range of service providers including public, private and third sector. We are working with local authorities and key stakeholders to better understand and map existing provision. This will help us develop a plan for breakfast provision, designed around the needs of children and families, which will include estimated timescales.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 October 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 17 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether the conclusions of the Audit Scotland report, Investing in Scotland's infrastructure, and, in particular, the stated change in status of the Borders railway decarbonisation project to "Paused", alter the status of the Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan's objective to electrify the Edinburgh to Dundee and Aberdeen mainline by 2035, and whether it can confirm that the Edinburgh to Dundee and Aberdeen mainline will be fully electrified by 2035, as committed to in the Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan.
Answer
The objectives in the July 2020 Rail services Decarbonisation Action Plan DAP currently remain. Any updates will be included in the refreshed plan, which is under development, and is due to be published in the near future.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-21959 by Jenny Gilruth on 27 October 2023, for what reason the answer did not address the explicit point in both the original question and the follow-up question regarding what consequences there are for local authorities that do not meet its commitment to provide every school pupil with their own laptop or other digital device; what its position is on whether not addressing this point in both the previous answers meets the commitment set out in paragraph 1.3 (d) of the Scottish Ministerial Code, which states that "Ministers should be as open as possible with the Parliament and the public, reflecting the aspirations set out in the Report of the Consultative Steering Group on the Scottish Parliament [...and] should refuse to provide information only in accordance with the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and other relevant statutes"; whether it will confirm whether (a) there are, or will be, any consequences for local authorities that do not meet its commitment to provide every school pupil with their own laptop or other digital device and (b) any consequences will be retrospectively imposed; for what reason it is still in the process of developing delivery plans for this scheme, in light of it committing to it nearly three years ago, and by what date any such delivery plans will be finalised and published.
Answer
As stated in the original answer, we continue to work to develop plans on the provision of digital devices, which includes ensuring appropriate consideration of funding, monitoring and reporting. Given the extremely challenging financial climate, it is important that this is fully considered to ensure best value.
As set out in the Programme for Government, we will publish a digital strategy to support the broader aims of the education system and further details on this strategy will be provided in due course.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 October 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what it anticipates the cost will be of (a) consulting on, (b) establishing, (c) launching and (d) the ongoing running of the Centre of Teaching Excellence.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-22299 on 16 November 2023. 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 .
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 October 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Centre of Teaching Excellence will report to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-22299 on 16 November 2023. 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 .
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 October 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government in what fundamental respects the Centre of Teaching Excellence will be different from Education Scotland.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-22299 on 16 November 2023. 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 .