Welcome to School Backpacks

That the Parliament expresses disappointment that no Scottish manufacturer was procured for the manufacture of the Scottish Government’s Welcome to School backpack initiative, nor was any selected for the supply of their contents; notes that, according to the Scottish Government's response to question S7W-03632 on 24 September 2026, a manufacturer in China has been selected for the bags while manufacturers in "Europe and Britain" have been selected for the contents; understands with concern that, according to The Borgen Project, child labour remains an illegal, yet persistent, issue in China, affecting children under the legal working age of 16 as well as secondary vocational students forced into labour through school-mandated internships; seeks reassurances from the Scottish Government that no child labour is utilised in the manufacture of these backpacks; considers that the phrase “assembled in Scotland”, as given in the answer to question S7W-03632, might be seen as being misleading, giving the impression of actual manufacture in Scotland; notes with concern the recent article in The Herald to that effect and that, in reality, the bags are only to be filled in Scotland, but welcomes, however, the selection of Edinburgh-based APS Group for the filling and distribution of the bags to schools across Scotland.