Support this Bill

Scottish Trades Union Council Women's Committee

Agnes Tolmie

The STUC Women's Committee recognises the role of school meals in improving the nutrition and health of Scotland's children and supports the Campaign calling for the universal provision of free school meals.

The rapid growth of poverty over the last two decades is a source of great concern to the STUC. Recent figures show that over 31 per cent of Scottish children and over 50 per cent of lone parent families live in poverty. Poverty not only excludes millions of people from full participation in society, it destroys and debilitates the sufferers. It denies children the chance to fulfil their potential. Moreover, poverty is by no means restricted to those on benefits. Many families who live in poverty are low paid workers. The committee sees the provision of free school meals as significant contribution in combating child poverty.

The STUC Women's Committee is and always has been committed to, and worked for, an inclusive society. In our view this is an issue affecting all the children of this country, it should therefore make no difference what background a child comes from. It is surely a matter of concern for us all that all our children are nurtured and nourished. Universal provision of free school meals is one of the clearest examples of a commitment to an inclusive society.

One in five children who were entitled to free school meals do not take them. Evidence shows that the stigma attached to free school meals in the current means-tested system leads to many families not claiming them. Moreover the nutritional standards and quality of food provision is variable and often unsatisfactory. As a result many children are using alternative sources of food, which do not comply with any nutritional standards. Currently, children often purchase their school meals from vans selling pizzas and burgers nearby to the school premises, or, indeed from machines stocking chocolate and fizzy drinks, inside the schools. Those children, therefore, with more readily available cash are as unlikely to receive decent nourishment as those are with less.

The committee wishes to raise the quality and nutritional value of the meals currently being provided. One of the key aims of the campaign is to encourage healthy eating among young people. It is generally recognised that one of the major causes of poor health in Scotland is our diet. Poor nutritional standards in childhood are known to have an adverse affect not only on health and physical development, but also on educational achievement. The universal provision of free nutritional school meals and the return of free school milk is recognised as vital and effective public health measure for instilling healthy eating habits and improving long-term health.

STUC Women's Committee believe that the resources are available, the Minister for Finance noted, in November 2001, that there was likely to be an underspend of in excess of some four hundred million pounds by the year end. The resources are there and what better way is there to spend some of this excess than on the health of our children. In our view the universal provision of nutritional school meals is an investment for the future health and well being of our society. We would urge you to support this campaign and ensure that future.

Public Petition

The Committee, at the time of writing, has collected over 10,000 signatures on a public petition call for the universal provision of free school meals and milk, which will be presented, to the Chair of Scottish Parliament's Public Petitions Committee. The STUC Women's Committee has also given its support to the Cross Party Private Members Bill, currently making its way through Parliament on this issue.

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