Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government will bring forward plans for the replacement for the National Parent Forum of Scotland and I am happy to ensure that the member is kept informed.

Under standard and ongoing grant management arrangements, Scottish Government officials met representatives from National Parent Forum of Scotland and their host organisation, Children in Scotland, on 21 May 2024. Issues relating to the decision to cease funding NPFS were discussed.

The Chair of the National Parent Forum of Scotland was informed on 14 May 2024 that the Scottish Government would not be continuing to grant fund the organisation beyond 2023/24.

National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) supports the delivery of more high quality homes in the right locations to provide choice and meet diverse needs. As a recently adopted part of the development plan, it provides an up-to-date context for decision making that has a democratic mandate to guide us to the place we want Scotland to be in 2045. There is no need for local development plans to replicate policies in NPF, enabling planning authorities to focus on allocating land for new homes, and supporting their delivery in collaboration with developers, communities and infrastructure providers.

We recognise there is scope to improve on current planning timescales. There can be many reasons for delays in determining applications, including incomplete applications leading to requests for additional information, delays with responses from consultees and the time take to reach legal agreements. However, timescales for decisions are only one measure, and constructive and collaborative working between applicants and authorities means that consistently over 93% of applications are approved annually.

We recently consulted on resourcing the planning system, including options to improve capacity and the number of planners. The consultation closed on 31 May and we are carefully considering the responses received.

Since the Scottish Government first introduced universal free school meals for Primaries 1-3 in 2015, Scottish Ministers and officials have regularly engaged with a wide range of stakeholders as their views and experiences have been essential in developing the programme.

COSLA and local authorities are represented on groups involved in the roll out of universal free school meals. Officials and Ministers have engaged with young people regarding free school meals through their attendance at stakeholder events. Parents and carers views have been captured in reports including the Poverty and Inequality Commission’s Child Poverty Delivery plan progress report and NHS Scotland’s Evaluation of the Implementation of Universal Free School Meals in Primaries 1-3.

The Scottish Government is committed to strengthening our approach to parental engagement to ensure there are a range of opportunities for parents and carers to shape and influence policy development. There is a need to establish a broader, more representative model to support meaningful engagement from parents and carers and this is what the National Parent Panel will do. It will play a critical role in informing policy, and providing advice and challenge to Government as we drive improvement in our education system.

The findings of the report were taken into account in developing the new, strengthened approach to parental engagement which the Scottish Government is taking forward. Under standard and ongoing grant management arrangements, aspects of the findings of the report, which was commissioned by NPFS, were discussed at regular meetings between Scottish Government officials and NPFS.

The Scottish Government is content to share any relevant communication, if requested.

Detailed costings are still being discussed with Connect.

The Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022 requires relevant authorities to publish a Good Food Nation Plan within 12 months of the date that Section 10 of the Act comes into force. It is the Scottish Government’s intention to commence this part of the legislation at around the same time as the final version of the national Good Food Nation Plan is published in 2025. Relevant authorities will therefore be required to publish their own Plans in 2026.