Chamber and committees

We will consider further the alignment of the student support for further and higher education students in the light of the forthcoming lifelong learning strategy.

Decisions on awards from Hardship Funds allocations are made by colleges and universities who are best placed to assess whether individual students need this additional support. The current arrangements for Hardship Funds and the Mature Students Bursary Fund (MSBF) aim to retain as much of that discretion as possible while at the same time targeting the support to those students who need it most. We have asked institutions for feedback on the first year of MSBF and will consider whether any changes should be made to the arrangements in the light of their comments.

I understand that Clydeport owns some 21 hectares (approximately 55%) of the development site and Glasgow City Council owns 17 hectares (approximately 44%). The remaining 1% is made up of various ownerships held on long leases.

The Scottish Executive supports the development of breakfast clubs and fruit provision in schools in a number of ways. The Executive has created a £250,000 Breakfast Service Challenge Fund to expand services targeting vulnerable children and is reviewing current provision. One of the priorities identified for the Health Improvement Fund, which has allocated £26 million per annum towards improving public health until 2003-04, is improving the diet of children. This includes supporting the provision of breakfast clubs and fruit in nurseries and schools.The Scottish Community Diet Project has a specific remit to work with low-income communities and will receive funding of £1.2 million between 2002 and 2005. It supports a range of community food initiatives including breakfast clubs and recently published a Breakfast Club toolkit to assist organisations wishing to set up a breakfast club.Childcare Strategy funding (£16.75 million in 2002-03) is allocated to local authorities who, with Childcare Partnerships, make decisions on its disbursement to meet local childcare needs. The Executive has allocated an additional £8 million to local authorities as part of the Childcare Strategy funding over 2001-04 to help support and stabilise fragile out of school care provision, including breakfast clubs. New Community Schools have the twin aims of promoting social inclusion and raising educational standards in Scotland. Many New Community Schools have been involved in setting up breakfast clubs where there is perceived need.

There is a long-standing agreement between Scotland and Finland to exchange information on medicine and public health. The Executive is therefore aware of Finnish initiatives to improve healthy eating, such as the diet component of the North Karelia Project. The Scottish Berry Project was informed by the experience of this project.

Implementation of the Scottish Diet Action Plan began in 1996. The plan set dietary targets for 2005. The recently announced National Healthy Eating Campaign takes forward the Scottish Diet Action Plan in a renewed and focused effort to meet the dietary targets with a particular focus on increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables and decreasing fat intake. The campaign is an integral part of the Step Change agenda to improve Scotland's health.

We are taking advice on formation of an expert advisory grouping to discuss evaluation of the National Healthy Eating Campaign, as well as the wider Scottish Diet Action Plan.

Resources for healthy eating in Scotland are allocated across a wide range of sectors and settings including the Food Standards Agency, the NHS, Health Education Board for Scotland, local government and the voluntary sector.Healthy Eating is a key element of the drive to improve the health of the people of Scotland. The National Healthy Eating Campaign will spearhead this drive and take forward the further implementation of the Scottish Diet Action Plan.The National Campaign will be supported by funding from the Scottish Diet Action Plan and will augment the Scottish Executive's anticipated allocation of £1 million each year for implementation of this plan. Diet is also prioritised within the £26 million Health Improvement Fund and forms an important part of the £6 million National Health Demonstration Project, Have a Heart Paisley.

Industrial relations and employment issues within further education colleges, which are autonomous bodies in terms of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992, are for the colleges themselves to address. I do of course expect college managers to foster good industrial relations, which are crucial to the delivery of an efficient and effective service to the public.

The link between Scotland's poor diet and its poor record on health are clear, which is why we are actively promoting healthy eating in our drive to improve the health of people in Scotland.