Laura Moodie

Answer · Mairi McAllan · 22 Jul 2026

The refreshed Learning for Sustainability (LfS) Action Plan was published in 2023. Key achievements since then have included: publication of Sustainable Learning Settings guidance in English and Gaelic by Education Scotland, which will help to guide schools on how to achieve Target 2030; publication of a national framework for LfS in Initial Teacher Education to improve the embedding of LfS in initial teacher training, and; strengthening LfS as part of the Curriculum Improvement Cycle. In addition – and recognising that outdoor learning is a key aspect within LfS – the government is also working with partners to implement the Schools (Residential Outdoor Education) (Scotland) Act 2026.

Answer · Mairi McAllan · 22 Jul 2026

The Scottish Government works with a range of stakeholders through the national Learning for Sustainability (LfS) Leadership Group, which meets quarterly to help oversee and co-ordinate delivery of the LfS Action Plan. The group is co-chaired by the Scottish Government and Education Scotland, and member organisations represent interests across, for example, local authorities, skills development, qualifications, the teaching profession, and the environment.Scottish Government and Education Scotland officials also work together to deliver shared actions, such as the development of new sustainable learning settings guidance for educators, which Education Scotland published in March 2026. Through provision of funding, the Scottish Government further supports stakeholders to deliver climate action in schools, global citizenship training for practitioners, and resources for taking learning outdoors.

Answer · Mairi McAllan · 22 Jul 2026

Within the Scottish Government, Learning for Sustainability (LfS) is part of a range of responsibilities covered by the Education Directorate. Within Education Scotland, LfS is part of a range of responsibilities covered by Education Scotland's Curriculum Team.Resourcing is reviewed regularly in the context of overall business needs.

Answer · Stephen Flynn · 9 Jul 2026

Transport Scotland’s Operating Company, Amey, has not yet had the opportunity to inspect the footpath to respond to this request. Footway inspections are undertaken every 12 months for this section of footway per the trunk road maintenance contract. The location has been referred for consideration within future maintenance programmes, and Amey’s Landscaping Team will assess the vegetation to determine any maintenance or improvement works required.Active travel improvements are progressing elsewhere on the A726 in East Kilbride, with further A725 trunk road cycle infrastructure planned, subject to design development, programme coordination and available budgets.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville · 8 Jul 2026

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that families can access the support they need, including those living in rural and deprived communities, and recognise how vital childcare and family support services are in rural and island areas, both in relation to giving children the best start in life and supporting families to work.Through our Whole Family Support and the Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) approaches, the Scottish Government seeks to create the conditions for partners to deliver person-centred services that interact seamlessly so that children and families across Scotland can get the right support, at the right time, in the right place, for as long as they need it, whether those needs are simple or complex.The Scottish Government’s Third Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan, Bringing Hope, Building Futures, sets out a range of actions that we will be delivering to ensure families have access to the services and support that they require, including:investing £20 million in a new Whole Family Support Third Sector Delivery Fund, allowing third sector organisations to provide more support that wraps around families in their communities, with specific consideration given to the extent to which applications to the Fund include a focus on rural or island communities.continuing to invest £50 million through the Whole Family Wellbeing Funding Programme .continuing to invest over £1 billion in 2026-27 in funded ELC, providing 1140 hours of funded childcare for all three and four year olds and eligible two year oldsdelivering a national breakfast club offer for primary school aged children with provision in all primary and special schools by August 2027investing £15 million in a Childcare Support Fund to help address childcare cost barriers for families most at risk of living in poverty across Scotlandinvesting an additional £2.5 million to increase wrap-around activity clubs for primary school age children.Since the publication of the plan, the Scottish Government has gone further, committing to expanding childcare support to children from nine months through to the end of primary school over the course of this Parliament. As this work progresses, we will take into account the needs of families across Scotland, including the challenges of delivering childcare in rural and island settings, and the needs of priority family groups at risk of, or living in, poverty.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville · 8 Jul 2026

It will be the defining mission of this government to support families with the cost of living and to eradicate child poverty.Economic modelling published in March 2026 assesses the cumulative impact of our policies on child poverty. It estimates that action in ‘Bringing Hope, Building Futures’, our Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan for 2026-31, will keep 100,000 children out of relative poverty this year. The impact is proportionately greater for families on the very lowest incomes, with our policies estimated to keep 70,000 children out of deep poverty this year.Compared to elsewhere in the UK, our Five Family Payments – inclusive of our Scottish Child Payment, three Best Start Grants, and Best Start Foods – are providing unparalleled financial support to families. Our Five Family Payments could be worth over £11,000 by the time an eligible child turns six and around £26,000 by the time an eligible child turns 16. This compares to less than £2,000 for families in England and Wales, where support ends when an eligible child turns four.?This is part of much wider support for families, including our continued investment in the provision of 1,140 hours of high-quality funded early learning and childcare to all three and four year olds and eligible two year olds. If families paid for this offer themselves, it would cost them around £6,400 per eligible child per year.Our action is making a real difference to families, with the Institute for Fiscal Studies estimating some of the lowest income households with children are around £2,760 per year better off compared to England as a result of our approach to income tax and benefits.We know that we must continue to go further to tackle child poverty and support families with the cost of living. That is why we have committed to taking forward plans to ensure essential food items in supermarkets are affordable, to expand support for childcare to all children from nine-months to the end of primary school, and to introducing a £2 nationwide cap on bus fares to lower the cost of people’s commute.

Answer · Maree Todd · 20 Jul 2026

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people can access extracurricular activities, regardless of family income, and we recognise that cost remains a significant barrier for some families.We are taking forward a range of measures to reduce these barriers.We continue to support the Active Schools programme, which provides free opportunities for children and young people to participate in sport and physical activity before, during and after the school day across all local authority areas, ensuring access irrespective of socio-economic background.Our Summer of Sport investment is also providing opportunities for children and young people to take part in free and low-cost sporting activities this year. The aim is to create opportunities for children and young people, particularly those facing disadvantage, to get active, stay active, and enjoy the benefits of physical activity. We want children and young people to benefit from an inclusive system which leads to longer-term participation.We recognise the importance of children and young people having the opportunity to take part in a wide range of hobbies, such as sport, music and the arts. We are engaging with key stakeholders to consider the overall landscape of provision across Scotland in order to better understand the barriers families face and identify further action to ensure all children can access the hobbies they enjoy.These actions are part of our broader efforts, including through the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan, to reduce costs for families and ensure that all children have the opportunity to benefit from activities that support their wellbeing, confidence and development.