All Scotland's major parties too slow on free school meals - Ian Swanson

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MSPs will vote on free school meals on Wednesday when the Tories call for the Scottish Government to reverse its plans to pause the roll-out of the provision to all primary pupils.

All children up to P5 already receive free meals and the SNP had promised to extend them to P6 and P7 by 2026, but First Minister John Swinney announced in last week's Programme for Government that the move would be paused. 

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It's just one of many savings being made as the government wrestles with a £1 billion black hole. But Tory education spokesman Liam Kerr said the SNP had "shamefully abandoned Scotland's poorest children by axing the universal rollout".

John Swinney unveils his inaugural Programme for Government at Scottish Parliament. Picture: Jeff J MitchellJohn Swinney unveils his inaugural Programme for Government at Scottish Parliament. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell
John Swinney unveils his inaugural Programme for Government at Scottish Parliament. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell

The Tories are not normally big fans of universal benefits, but then free school meals was not always such a popular policy with any of the big parties.

Back in 2002, the Scottish Socialist Party's Tommy Sheridan brought forward a member's bill at Holyrood for the provision of free school meals at a cost of £174 million, which he said would be money well spent because it would improve children's health and tackle child poverty. 

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The bill was co-sponsored by Labour's John McAllion and the SNP's Alex Neil as well as having the support of a reported 80 per cent of the public.

But the then Labour/Lib Dem coalition argued instead for "more targeted measures" and the bill was defeated by 74 votes to 37, with the Tories joining most Labour and Lib Dem MSPs in voting it down.

The SNP did support it, but after the Nationalists came to power in 2007 it took until 2015 before free school meals were introduced for P1-P3.  The provision was expanded to P4 in August 2021 and to P5 in January 2022, but the next extension - to which the government says it is still committed - is now on hold until the government decides it can afford it.

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This is despite Mr Swinney saying that eradicating child poverty is his “single biggest priority”. John Dickie, director of the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland - which led the campaign for free school meals - says the Scottish Government is taking the right approach and praises the Scottish Child Payment for lifting up to 60,000 children out of poverty.

But he says: “We need to see a step change in the scale and pace of action.”

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