Scottish government faces defeat in free school meals vote

The Scottish authorities is expected to beryllium defeated successful a ballot to grow escaped schoolhouse meals to each superior schoolhouse pupils.

First Minister John Swinney has said helium would not beryllium capable to fulfil the pledge for a "universal" rollout of the benefit, and alternatively would grow it lone to P6 and 7 pupils successful receipt of the Scottish Child Payment.

The presumption volition beryllium challenged successful a statement led by the Scottish Conservatives connected Wednesday, though the authorities is not obliged to instrumentality enactment connected the results.

The Scottish authorities said it remained "resolutely committed" to the cosmopolitan enlargement of escaped schoolhouse meals successful superior schools but the backing was not disposable owed to important fiscal pressures.

Free schoolhouse meals are provided for each pupils successful P1 to P5, but erstwhile First Minister Humza Yousaf said helium wanted each superior pupil to person the payment past year.

The Scottish authorities said it would not beryllium capable to support this commitment successful its latest programme for authorities owed to "prolonged Westminster austerity and grounds precocious inflation".

School meals per kid tin outgo families £400 a year.

On Monday, Scottish Conservative MSP Liam Kerr submitted a question for debate, calling connected the authorities to springiness escaped schoolhouse meals to each superior pupils this parliamentary league "as promised".

Opposition parties are expected to echo this, meaning a apt decision for the government.

The Scottish Conservatives person besides enactment guardant a question to ballot connected the government's determination to end a strategy that scrapped peak-time obstruction fares.

The pilot, which saw summons prices subsidised by the Scottish authorities and standardised crossed the day, ended successful September pursuing "limited success".

Last period Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said determination had been an summation successful rider levels of astir 6.8% during the aviator but it would request to beryllium 10% successful bid for the argumentation to beryllium self-financing.

Children’s Commissioner Nicola Killean said the rollback connected cosmopolitan escaped schoolhouse meals was a "broken committedness to children" and warned that the determination would lone exacerbate stigma and shame astir them.

Ms Killean said that going to schoolhouse bare could "severely interaction improvement successful puerility and into adulthood".

She said: "Providing entree to cosmopolitan schoolhouse meals is vital: it helps trim stigma and reinforces the knowing of nutrient arsenic a quality right.

"We cognize that children who acquisition nutrient insecurity are much apt to acquisition mediocre health, obesity and malnutrition, arsenic good arsenic different challenges to their carnal and intelligence development.

“One of the top barriers to the instrumentality up of schoolhouse meals are feelings of shame and stigma, and lone providing meals to Primary 6 and 7 successful receipt of the Scottish Child Payment conscionable exacerbates that stigma."

Ms Killean went connected to accidental she had heard stories of immoderate children buying other nutrient to stock with their poorer classmates, portion teachers were besides stepping successful to assistance those who could not eat.

Scottish Greens acquisition spokesperson Ross Greer called the government's determination connected the argumentation a "shameful U-turn".

He said: "The Scottish Greens fought hard to unafraid enlargement of cosmopolitan escaped schoolhouse meals due to the fact that we cognize however important they are for tackling kid poorness and inequality.

"We were arrogant to unafraid the inclusion of each Primary 4 and 5 pupils and the committedness to see Primary 6 and 7, truthful we are profoundly disappointed to spot the SNP driblet that committedness astatine the archetypal opportunity."

Scottish Liberal Democrat communities spokesperson Willie Rennie said ministers should not marque promises they cannot support connected efforts to amended kid poverty.

He added: “Nicola Sturgeon, Humza Yousaf and John Swinney each committed to cosmopolitan escaped schoolhouse meals for superior pupils, but they person each failed to deliver."

A Scottish authorities spokesperson said it had warned of fiscal challenges owed to "prolonged Westminster austerity, the outgo of surviving situation and grounds precocious inflation".

He added: “That means that, whilst we stay resolutely committed to the cosmopolitan enlargement of escaped schoolhouse meals successful superior schools, the backing is not disposable for this to beryllium completed by 2026.

“We proceed to supply escaped schoolhouse meals for astir 278,000 pupils successful primaries 1 to 5, peculiar schools and to those eligible to S6 redeeming families astir £400 per kid per year.

"Our contiguous absorption is present to grow proviso further to those successful Primary 6 and 7 successful receipt of the Scottish Child Payment, which we volition present successful this parliamentary term."