Breakdown of funding allocated to councils regarding school air ventilation: FOI release

Information requested

1. A detailed breakdown of how money allocated to school ventilation has been spent (e.g how much has been spent on carbon monoxide monitors, air filters etc).

2. A breakdown of how much money has been allocated to each council for air ventilation.

Response

Response to Part 1 of your request.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance, the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. It is the statutory responsibility of local authorities to manage their school estate. Therefore, local authorities may be able to provide you with the information you seek.

This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

Response to Part 2 of your request.

I can confirm that the Scottish Government holds information falling within the scope of your request. All information held that is in scope is attached in the Annex to this letter.

Given the importance of ventilation in schools and day care of children settings to mitigate against the risks of airborne transmission of COVID-19, the First Minister announced on 3rd August 2021 that funding will be distributed to local authorities in 2021/22 to ensure that all schools and day care of children settings have access to CO2 monitoring. On 14th October 2021 the Scottish Government wrote to local authorities to confirm the distribution of the £10m of funding to support increased CO2 monitoring in schools.

The Scottish Government announced on 11 January that we are also providing local authorities with additional capital funding of up to £5m to support any further urgent remedial work that is needed to ensure good ventilation in schools and early learning & childcare settings. On 28th January 2022 the Scottish Government wrote to local authorities to confirm the distribution of the £5m of funding to support further ventilation in schools.

A previous allocation of £90m Covid-19 logistics funding was also provided to local authorities for uses including improved ventilation, and we are aware that some local authorities used their share of this funding for those purposes.

This represents a significant investment in ensuring ventilation, along with other mitigations in schools, plays an effective role in reducing the risks of Covid-19.

Additionally, the Scottish Government's £25m Business Ventilation Fund is a central budget where local authorities will make payment to successful businesses initially and then claim back from the central fund. This is therefore demand led with local authorities being reimbursed rather than given an allocation to spend upfront. This allows for a national response with locality having no impact on the decision making.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI - 202200272343 - Information Released - Annex

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