The School Meal Debt Fund: FOI release

Information requested

You asked for us to provide you with the following information for the period up until, and including, the date of your request:

1. What was the basis of setting the school meal debt fund value at £1.5 million?

2. What processes for monitoring and measuring outcomes and impact of the fund has the Scottish Government implemented in order to evidence effective delivery of and outcomes from the school meal debt fund?

3. What processes for monitoring and measuring outcomes and impact have local authorities had to implement in order to evidence effective delivery of the school meal debt fund?

4. How is the Scottish Government measuring any changes in wellbeing of children/families as a result of the implementation of the school meal debt fund?

Response

The answers to your questions are as follows:

1. The Scottish Government considered the level of debt that had been reported to have been previously cleared by local authorities along with the research that had been carried out by Aberlour.

2. Reporting will be considered as part of the grant award process.

3. Monitoring will be expected as part of the grant award process.

4. The Scottish Government does not hold information on the individual children/families affected by school meal debt and so it is not possible to measure the wellbeing of those children/families in relation to this funding.

About FOI

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