Chamber and committees

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

<>Scottish Ministers continue to discuss the provision of school clothing grants and appropriate timescales for implementation with COSLA. We intend to achieve this in partnership with COSLA rather than by imposing regulations, in the same way that we have successfully implemented universal free school meals for Primary 1 to 3. However, the regulation-making power provides an alternative route should this not prove possible.

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

<>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.

The Scottish Government is continuing to consider how eligibility to free school meals will be determined in the context of the UK Government’s programme for welfare reform. As an interim arrangement, the Education (School Lunches) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2013 prescribed the receipt of universal credit as an eligibility criterion for free school meals to ensure that no child will lose their entitlement during the early stages of the universal credit roll-out. The Scottish Government is currently working with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to consider the eligibility criteria for free school meals under universal credit in the future.

The Scottish Government has also committed to extending universal free school meals to all two, three and four year olds in funded early learning and childcare as part of the expansion to 1140 hours of early learning and childcare by the end of this parliament.

<>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 with Creative Scotland on a wide range of subjects including developments around the Youth Music Initiative which allows young people to take part in music in and outside of school in all 32 local authorities.

The Scottish Government will ensure that all local authorities and schools are aware of the eligibility and award criteria for school clothing grants following discussions with COSLA. Guidance will be provided as appropriate.

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 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.