 The next item of business is portfolio questions. First question, Jenny Gilruth, please. To ask the Scottish Government how its cross portfolio working on tackling adverse childhood experiences is contributing to closing the attainment gap. I remind members and the PLO to the education secretary. Cabinet Secretary. The Scottish Government recognises the negative impact of adverse childhood experiences on the wellbeing of children, which in turn has a direct impact on their attainment. The Scottish attainment challenge has a specific focus on health and wellbeing alongside literacy and numeracy. Using funding from the £750 million attainment Scotland fund, schools are delivering a variety of health and wellbeing interventions to support their pupils, including those who have been impacted by adverse childhood experiences. In addition, I hosted an event in March, along with the First Minister and other ministerial colleagues, to hear from people working across sectors about the actions that are needed to drive progress on ASIS. We have published a report on what we heard and I have committed to building on that important dialogue. Jenny Gilruth. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. Research published by the EIS last month detailed the impact of poverty on Scottish education. Children unable to afford school trips, children coming to school hungry, children arriving at school in dirty clothes. Can the cabinet secretary confirm if he plans to address the impact of adverse childhood experiences with his UK counterpart? Does he agree with me that the Tory's ideological obsession with austerity— No, look, you've had your question. Sorry, we've got short of time. Cabinet secretary. Presiding Officer, undoubtedly the impact of austerity is having an effect on the backgrounds and the circumstances of young people, and the Government takes a number of measures to try to address that through the various interventions that we make, spending over £100 million a year mitigating the effects of austerity. In the tackling child poverty delivery plan, we set out a range of measures across Government to try to tackle those issues. Through the use of the attainment challenge funding, some of the issues that Jenny Gilruth raised in her question are substantial issues where young people may miss out on opportunities and can be alleviated by the utilisation of Scottish attainment challenge funding. I also point out that the Government recently reached an agreement with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to establish a minimum school clothing grant of a minimum of £100, which will be a significant benefit to the overwhelming majority of young people in Scottish schools. I appreciate the agreement with which we have reached with local government to take that step to assist in tackling the issues that were raised by Ms Gullruth. The cabinet secretary referred to the engagement with COSLA. Obviously, local authorities are key in the delivery of the aspirations that he has set out. Can we outline the work that has been done with COSLA and the process for managing that on-going engagement? We have regular discussions with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities at individual portfolio level, and I saw the COSLA education spokesperson just yesterday. As a team of ministers, we met last week with the leadership of COSLA, the vice president and political group leaders across the political spectrum, including the leader of Orkney Islands Council, who was there on behalf of the independent group, to focus on how our combined efforts can support the same policy direction. Indeed, we had a very good example of that on Monday with the launch of the national performance framework, which has been endorsed by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. Indeed, it has been active and involved in the preparation of that, as have Members of Parliament across the spectrum, to try to ensure that we overcome any effects of compartmentalisation within Government policymaking, because there is a need for cross-portfolio work to address the issues that are raised by adverse childhood experiences. We will only address those questions if we work across boundaries. Jeremy Balfour, to ask the Scottish Government what support it gives to school leavers regarding the transition to further education, training and work. There is a broad range of support available to school leavers, including careers advice offered by Skills Development Scotland to help pupils to move into further education, training and work. SDS also works closely with pastoral care staff in schools that identify those leavers who are less likely to engage with mainstream opportunities. Together with local partners, SDS offers targeted transition support to the rest of the vulnerable group. Jeremy Balfour, I thank the minister for his answer, but a survey that was commissioned by the Education and Skills Committee last week found that just 3 per cent of school leavers were told more about how to get on to a training programme than other post-school options, whereas 60 per cent of school leavers were told more about how to get on to a training programme than other post-school options. What action is the minister and the Scottish Government taking to ensure that all school leavers receive adequate information and advice about transition into non-university reach such as a plan to transition? I will try to be brief nonetheless, minister. That is exactly why we are taking forward our developing young workforce programme. I recognise and understand the point that Mr Balfour is making. It is a historic challenge for us. One of the big challenges that we have before is to ensure that there is parity of esteem across all options for young people. That is what we are committed to taking forward through developing the young workforce. I have seen that beginning to make a difference. I will take it further still with the recommendations out of the learner journey review. I wonder if the minister could outline what advice is given to young people who go straight from school to work and may end up in an exploitative, insecure work. What advice is given about what is reasonable for them to expect in terms of contracts and what advice is given about the role of trade unions in protecting young people from the more exploitative practices that they are experiencing? Of course, advice about the world of work will be provided through the careers advice that is available in every single school environment. The issue about what young people might expect out of the world of work is one that we need to reflect on. We probably can do better in terms of ensuring that we know what they expect out of the world of work and ensure that we can work towards that. Indeed, that was something that we were just discussing yesterday at the strategic labour market group, which I chair. Question 3, Finlay Carson. What support it provides for the funding of further education courses in Dumfries and Galloway? Minister? In the academic year 2018-19, the Scottish Government, through the funding council, will provide a real-terms increase of over 8 per cent to support the teaching of further and higher education courses at Dumfries and Galloway college, totaling £9.73 million. Additionally, we will provide £1.78 million in student support as part of the college's initial allocation. Finlay Carson. I thank the minister for that response. At a recent consultation carried out by the South of Scotland economic partnership, the chairman mentioned that a very good funding application had been submitted from the South of Scotland colleges. Can you suggest why they have had to do this? Is that not the role of the Scottish funding council? The colleges in the area have actually to be commended, I would suggest, for the innovative work that they are taking forward together and in partnership, and taking full advantage of the new opportunities that they have in the South of Scotland because of the work that is going on there, not just within education but also in skills and general economic recovery. I really look forward to hearing more about the college's suggestions that they have taken forward to the South of Scotland economic partnership and would encourage the colleges to continue with that work. Question 4, Jackie Baillie. The Scottish Government, however, ensures that educational campuses have appropriate and adequate levels of accessibility for disabled students. Presiding Officer, in Scotland we have a range of legislation and guidance in place to ensure adequate levels of accessibility for disabled students. Responsible bodies, including education authorities, independent and granted schools, are required to develop and publish accessibility strategies to improve, over time, access to the curriculum, the physical environment and school information for pupils with disabilities. For that response, I have a young woman who attends the CPG on muscular dystrophy, who is currently applying for university. She is very bright. Her choices should be completely unlimited. However, due to her being in a wheelchair, her choices are limited by the accessibility of campuses. What action will the Government take to improve and inform disabled students about accessibility, particularly in higher education institutions in Scotland? I am concerned to hear the detail that Jackie Baillie recounts and if she would like to write to me and the minister, we will look directly into that case. There are separate supports in place either through the student awards agency or the Scottish funding council, with a specific funding allocated to try to address some of those issues in a very practical way, because there will be individual students who will present for particular courses where there may be challenges in the existing physical estate order and other issues where resources should be applied to try to ensure that there are no barriers to their learning. I think that there are measures in place to try to address the scenario that Jackie Baillie paints, but if she would like to write to me and the minister, we will look into that and see what we can do to address that. To ask the Scottish Government how it encourages engagement between universities and secondary education establishments. We expect schools and other partners to work collaboratively with each other, and there are many examples of schools doing this effectively with universities, colleges, employers and others to the clear benefit of their young people. In response to the recommendations from the commission on widening access, the Scottish funding council is currently developing a new school engagement framework to provide more targeted and enhanced engagement with schools. We also invest £2.5 million each year through the Scottish funding council to support the access to higher demand professions and the schools for higher education programmes. George Adam. I thank the minister for her answer. Does the minister agree with me that UWS, based in Paisley, is leading the way on the issue and that other universities should try ways to work with the institution to try and mirror their many successes? I commend the work that the University of West Scotland does in this and other areas around widening access. However, as I have stressed in the chamber before, imperative that all universities play their role in achieving our widening access ambitions, because only through working together with the schools, colleges and universities, the funding council and the Government can we achieve the widening access targets and ambitions that we all share. I commend and encourage the University of West Scotland to carry on in their great work, and I am sure that they are a great source of good practice that our universities can follow. Colin Smydd. The minister will be aware that one of the innovative ways in which the universities and other further education establishments interact with the secondary sector is the innovative Dumfries learning town project. After the summer, pupils will move out of existing Langland school, Lockside primary school and my own former schools, St Narnian's primary and maximum high school, into their new north-west Dumfries campus. Will the minister join me in paying tribute to the enormous contribution that those four schools made over the past few decades to the community, in particular, of north-west Dumfries, and wish all the pupils and staff well and embark on their new life in the new campus? I would indeed wish them well in their new endeavours on the new campus. I believe that the Deputy First Minister will be visiting them in due course, and I know that he is looking forward to the visit. I ask the Scottish Government what feedback it has had from head teachers regarding the pupil equity fund. The Scottish Government regularly engages with head teachers and head teacher representatives about pupil equity funding. For example, the Association of Head Teachers and Deputies in Scotland fed into the development of the national operational guidance published to support head teachers on pupil equity funding. The attainment advisers who are appointed to take forward the wider work of attainment are in regular dialogue with head teachers on the Scottish attainment challenge and on pupil equity funding. Fulton MacGregor Thank you. The minister will be aware of the continued attempts by the Labour and Tory Administration in North Lanarkshire to raid the pupil equity fund last year for classroom assistance and this year for swimming lessons. Does the minister agree with me that it is important that head teachers are allowed to choose how they spend the money to lower the attainment gap rather than being pressured into giving up some of the very welcome funding to pay for services previously supplied as part of the overall education budgets for councils? Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills The guidance is very clear that pupil equity funding cannot be used to provide for essentially replacement of services that had been provided by local authorities in the immediate period before decisions were being made. I have taken action in relation to this question on one occasion before and my officials monitor the situation very carefully. Obviously, it is important and from what I find feedback that reaches me around the education system that head teachers are welcoming the opportunity to exercise greater discretion through pupil equity funding and to meet the needs of the young people who they are trying to support. I encourage head teachers to continue in their efforts to utilise those resources effectively to help us in our national effort to close the poverty-related attainment gap. Liz Smith Thank you. The cabinet secretary is well aware that there are very positive signs about pupil equity funding and that the education committee has received quite a lot of good evidence on this respect. It has also received evidence, however, that there has been some confusion about whether schools are able to spend that money on teachers. Could the cabinet secretary, just for the avoidance of any doubt, confirm to the Parliament that schools are able to use that pupil equity funding to take on additional teachers? I am very happy to confirm to the Parliament that pupil equity funding can be used to take on teachers. I would encourage it if that is appropriate for head teachers to take that decision. As I said in the last portfolio question time, and I may have said at the education committee, pupil equity funding is already supporting a number of teachers. If my memory says me right, something like 500 out of the 600 increase in teachers in the last 12 months was paid for by pupil equity funding. If I could go one stage further than that, one of the issues that was raised with me by the education committee was about the longevity of contracts. The Government has given an absolute commitment that there will be £120 million of pupil equity funding in each financial year until the end of this Parliament. That should therefore enable any school to be able to take on a member of staff over a longer period of time than just a 12-month period, because I have heard some evidence of 12-month contracts being offered. I give that commitment in Parliament today that that funding will be there until the end of this Parliament, which I hope will encourage longer-term contracts to be offered to members of staff. I welcome that last point, but the cabinet secretary will also recognise that PEF funding is based on free school meals. In some areas of Scotland, particularly in rural and isolated areas, the eligibility for free school meals can be difficult because of the stigma that is attached to that particular mechanism. I know that the cabinet secretary is aware of that. Can he say to Parliament how he plans to address that particular point? Can I respond in two ways to Mr Scott? The first is to say that, although the level of free school meal entitlement may vary from year to year in individual school, and that may result in a difference in pupil equity funding, I have applied some constraints to the degree of variability that could be applied. I recognise that, if long-term commitments of the type, I am encouraging people to make an answer to Liz Smith. Schools need to know that they are not going to be varying that much from year to year. If my memory says me right, I think that the tolerance level was 5 per cent of a difference. If that is incorrect, I will confirm that to Mr Scott in writing. The second point is about eligibility for free school meals. I accept that free school meals are a more finely grained measure than the Scottish index of multiple deprivation to detect the existence of poverty, but it is not perfect. Last week, I had a discussion with the Scottish Borders Council about some work that they are undertaking to look at a whole variety of different elements of information that could provide a more finely grained measure. The statisticians on behalf of the Scottish Government are going to engage with the Scottish Borders Council on that mechanism, because I am open to alternative mechanisms. It is just that, so far, we have not been able to amass a mechanism that gives us a better mechanism and a more reliable mechanism statistically than free school meal entitlement. I accept the point that Mr Scott makes that, in rural areas, sometimes people are reluctant to apply for free school meals because of the danger of stigma. The education committee also heard evidence of headteachers and, I think, two local authorities have used people equity funding to employ campus police officers. Does the education secretary feel that that is an appropriate use? If a headteacher believes that the most appropriate intervention that they should make is to take the steps to recruit a campus police officer, I do not think that I am in a position to question their judgment on that matter with one caveat. It is this. It is my point, which I made to Mr MacGregor, in my answer to him. If a campus police officer was employed last year by a local authority and is not being employed this year, that is not possible, because that would be a replacement for a service previously provided and funded by the local authority. In principle, if a headteacher believes that that is the right step to take, I would accept the judgment of the headteacher on that question. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in schools to address sectarianism. Sectarianism must be challenged wherever it occurs, and this Government has delivered an unprecedented range of activities to tackle the issue across Scotland. Since 2012, we have invested £13.5 million to support 108 organisations to deliver work to tackle sectarianism. That has included a wide range of educational activities, including developing Scotland's first national resource on tackling sectarianism and delivering free CPD training sessions through SENSE over sectarianism to support teachers to deliver anti-sectarian education. Our investment supported the development of the no-by-mouth Champions for Change school programme, and I was pleased to learn that it is now available in all 32 local authority areas. Stuart McMillan I thank the cabinet secretary for that reply, and the cabinet secretary may know that last week I hosted an event involving two schools in my constituency, St. Colombs High School from Gherwick and Cloudview Academy, who are jointly working on an anti-sectarian project working with no-by-mouth. Does the cabinet secretary consider that the existing collaborative projects involving schools could be worked upon and has the cabinet secretary also given any consideration to making similar projects mandatory, where it is considered that there could be a beneficial effect for local communities? Thank you, cabinet secretary. First of all, I made reference to the fact that, in relation to the events that Mr McMillan referred to, we had two pupils from St. Colombs High School delivering time for reflection yesterday, and it was a pleasure to see such fine young people contributing to our parliamentary proceedings yesterday. I think that those are very welcome initiatives that have been taken forward with no-by-mouth. As I said in my original answer, I am very pleased that 32 local authorities are now taking forward work with no-by-mouth. It is appropriate to be deployed in all parts of the country. As to whether it should be mandatory is a different question. I think that it is up to individual schools to decide what steps they should take to tackle the issue of addressing sectarianism, as it presents itself, and the issue will be of greater or lesser significance in different parts of the country. However, what is important is that we make the materials and the approaches available to ensure that those options are available to schools to take forward. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its progress in eliminating prejudice-based bullying in schools. On 28 May, the Scottish Government published supplementary guidance for schools and local authorities on recording and monitoring of bullying incidents in schools. The purpose of the guidance is to develop a consistent and uniform approach to recording and monitoring. To complement the guidance that we are working with CEMIS, the schools information management system, to update the current bullying and equalities module to enable improved recording and monitoring of prejudice-based bullying in schools. Christina McKelvin I welcome all those advances in the work that the Government has undertaken. Last week, the cabinet secretary visited St John Ogilvy high school in my constituency to see the pupil-led work in establishing and implementing the unused school anti-bullying policy. Will the cabinet secretary agree that pupil-led peer education is to be encouraged and that headteacher leadership can make the difference to ensuring a whole-school approach to ending prejudice-based bullying in schools? Will he commend the work of St John Ogilvy high school headteacher, Eddie Morrison and wish him well and his well-earned retirement? Eddie Morrison I had the pleasure of wishing Mr Morrison all good wishes when I visited St John Ogilvy high school last Wednesday. I took a great deal of heart to witnessing the young people leading the process of formulating the school's anti-bullying policy. It was a very engaged, sometimes very forthright conversation that was going on involving a lot of pupils, and it was well-shepherded and steered by some of the senior pupils in the school. I think that it is an example of pupil engagement and the expression of pupil voice, which lies at the heart of curriculum for excellence. It was a very good example, and I saw similar work the week before at Holy Cross High School in Hamilton, which demonstrated a similar approach to engaging young people in the formulation of effective anti-bullying policies. To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in delivering the expansion of early learning and childcare. The Scottish Government is on track to deliver our ambitious programme to almost double-funded early learning and childcare entitlement to 1140 hours by August 2020. We are committed to fully funding the expansion and reached a landmark agreement with COSLA leaders on 27 April on multi-year revenue and capital package. The agreement will see the annual revenue investment to increase by £567 million on 2016-17 levels by 2021-22, while £467 million of capital funding will be provided over four years. The real partnership working is further evidenced by our joint consultation with COSLA launched on 29 March, which set out the details of the national standard that will underpin the new funding follows the child model that will be introduced in 2020, and that is still open until the end of this month. We are also working with our partners to support the expansion of early years workforce. In October 2017, we launched the first phase of our recruitment marketing campaign, targeted at school leavers, with the second phase to attract career changers and parental returners to ELC, which was launched just last month. Daniel Johnson I thank the minister for that response. She will be no doubt aware of the recent NDNA survey, which points to four out of five independent and voluntary sector nurseries, saying that the money that they receive for the current funded places is too low. £3.72 per hour per child is what they say they get, which has no surprise when you consider the living wage, staff ratios, that they say that they are £2 an hour per child short. Does the minister recognise that figure, and if so, how is she going to tackle it? If she does not, I fear that the 1140 hour will either not be net met or do real damage to the small and independently managed nurseries, which are so important to the provision. We are going to introduce a new funding follows the child model in 2020. A key aspect of the model is that all providers delivering the funded early learning and childcare entitlement will receive a sustainable funding rate set at a local level that reflects the cost of delivering in a setting and allows for the delivery of national priorities, including the payment of a real living wage. As I said yesterday, we have introduced a new 100 per cent rate relief for private properties, wholly or mainly used as day nurseries, which has been really welcomed by the sector. That relief will remove the burden of rates from up to an estimated 500 businesses to support an inclusive workforce whilst benefiting the economy as a whole. We have and we continue to engage with providers on the development of this incredible expansion, which I would have to say that we have been engaging with providers multiple times. As I have said, yesterday at the ELC strategic forum, I received a commitment from my cosla colleagues, whom we have been working so closely in partnership with, that both of us would absolutely commit to tackling any individual difficulties that people are encountering, that sectors are encountering with individual local authorities. We have a really solid working agreement at the moment, a really solid partnership, shared vision, shared commitment, and we are willing to help the sector to solve any problems that they might be facing at the moment. It is essential to our delivery of this programme, absolutely essential to the delivery of this programme, that these nurseries and childminders receive the payment that they require. Can the minister outline what impact she expects the deposit guarantee trial to have on Dumfries and Galloway and how the Government will evaluate it? For participating families in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dumfries and Galloway, the deposit guarantee pilot will guarantee their deposit, meaning that up to 44 per cent of families with children under three will not have to pay a deposit upfront. Our recent patient survey found that families can experience difficulties paying the upfront costs associated with nurseries, including deposits. Some of the nurseries have told us that the deposit guarantee scheme will help them to change their pricing model. If nurseries are able to use the deposit guarantee, they will no longer have to charge fees in advance, which, obviously, for families can be a real struggle and a barrier to returning to the labour market. They have said that they will be able to charge fees in arrears, which means that families will have received their first paycheck before they have to pay their childcare costs. We are working with NHS Health Scotland to ensure that the pilot is fully evaluated, and that will include understanding exactly how families and providers use the scheme and the impact that it had. If I have shorter answers and short supplementaries, I will perhaps get a move on 10. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the findings of the report by NSPCC Scotland, the right to recover. Child Centre and trauma-informed healthcare is absolutely at the heart of current paeriacric services that are provided to children in Scotland who experience sexual assault. The Scottish Government's child protection improvement programme is taking forward work to ensure effective protection is in place for all children at risk from abuse and neglect. We have established a task force for improving services for adults and children who experience rape and sexual assault, which is led by the chief medical officer. In addition, we have also established an expert group for preventing sexual offending involving children and young people to identify actions to better prevent sexual crime involving children and young people. In May last year, the Scottish Government and NHS Education Scotland published a national trauma skills and knowledge framework to support strategic planning and delivery for training of all those who have contact with people affected by trauma across parts of the Scottish workforce. Kezia Dugdale. Minister, the report says very clearly that there is a lack of services for children following sexual abuse in most local authorities across Scotland, and where it does exist, it is patchy, inadequate and unable to meet demand. So what exactly is the minister doing to ensure that the resources that she has matches the rhetoric that she has just used? Getting it right for child victims is absolutely a priority in our on-going reform of our justice system, and I can assure you that we are working across portfolio with our health colleagues and with our justice colleagues. We have made significant process in recent months in improving the support for child victims. I know that there has been an issue in this chamber in my constituency, the distances that people have to travel from Orkney and Shetland, and there has been great strides forward in improving that. The vulnerable witnesses criminal evidence bill has just been introduced into the Scottish Parliament and delivers the commitment that we made in the programme for government, and that bill, among other things, creates a new role that the children who are due to give evidence in the most serious solemn cases should have their evidence pre-recorded in advance of trial, and that is a really important step towards achieving the Scottish Government's vision that, where possible, child witnesses should not have to give evidence at trial. To ask the Scottish Government which Scottish Colleges carry a PFI burden and what it is doing to alleviate this. Kilwynning campus of Ayrshire college is the only Scottish college with a PFI arrangement in place. PFI contract obligations of around £2.2 million per year on the campus at Kilwynning continue until 2025. I thank the minister for that answer. The previous Labour-Libdeb administration saddled a then James Watt college with a £50 million PFI burden following a £7 million investment in Kilwynning, which Ayrshire college subsequently inherited followed regionalisation. Does the minister agree that it is unfair that Ayrshire college, uniquely among Scottish colleges, must make annual PFI payments of £2.18 million and that such a burden makes it increasingly difficult for the college to continue delivering its standing outcomes for its students, many of whom are from challenging backgrounds? Can I begin by commending Ayrshire college for the outstanding outcomes that they have for their students? I had the pleasure of attending an event in there to encourage women to go into STEM careers on Monday evening. I would like to thank Ayrshire college for the hospitality that night. The Deputy First Minister has written to the college to confirm the proceeds of the college disposing of its former Kilmarnock campus with expected net proceeds of around £1.2 million can be retained by the college to be used towards the PFI costs on a one-year basis only. The funding council will continue to work closely with the college to ensure that it takes appropriate steps to ensure a financially sustainable position going forward. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the young women lead report on sexual harassment in schools. We want every child and young person in Scotland to develop mutually respectful responsible and confident relationships. No people should feel unsafe, threatened or harassed at school. That is why we welcome the work of the young women lead committee in investigating this issue and highlighting the unacceptable issues that many young people are facing. First of all, I thank the Scottish Government for the positive way that it engaged in that project. I also ask that the cabinet secretary look carefully at the findings of the report of the young women lead committee, some of which were shocking. I recognise that we still have a big issue about sexual harassment in schools, which has been exacerbated by the use of social media and respond in full to that report. I acknowledge the significance and seriousness of the issues that Linda Fabiani raises, and I recognise that those issues need to be pursued on a consistent basis. There are a number of areas in which our policy is developing in this area, particularly around about the importance of healthy relationships and the question of consent, about ensuring that the personal and social education in schools is fit for the current period in which we are living and not to mention the advent of social media. All those issues are relevant to the agenda that is raised so powerfully by the young women lead committee, and I give Linda Fabiani and the committee the assurance that the Government will engage seriously on the contents of the report. To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that school meals are of the highest quality and that the uptake of those is maximised. School meals are healthier and more popular than they have been ever before. We have now seen an uptake of over 50 million school meals served each year. Last week, I launched a consultation on recommendations to further improve the school food regulations at the new Broomlands primary school in Kelso. That is an excellent example of a school working to promote healthy eating habits in pupils. Brian Whittle I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. Of course, the recent report would argue against the quality of school meals currently in the school. In his consultation, can I help him by saying what we are looking to do here is procure food locally, prepare it on site and then allow pupils' input into the menu to apply that learning? When will we stop having these consultations on consultations and implement the obvious? I have to have it briefly to other members. The Government has had in place regulations about school meals and their nutritional standards since 2008. There is a statutory footing to that guidance, so we expect that to be followed in individual circumstances. Secondly, I think that it is desirable for food to be prepared on site. For example, a sighted of Broomlands primary school, the food was prepared there that day by members' staff and was presented positively to young people. The consultation that I have just launched, thirdly, is not about reviewing fundamentally the standards, because the standards are judged by the group that has just undertaken the technical work on my behalf. To be of the highest level, they are applying some further changes in relation to the reduction of sugar intake to ensure that there is a greater presence of fruit and vegetables in the menus that are available to young people. Finally, Mr Whittle's point about the engagement and the involvement of young people, I would heartily encourage that. It is one of the many ways in which young people must have their voice heard in our education system. Any school would be serving its pupils very well by engaging pupils in discussions about the quality of school meals and their aspirations for the type of food that they want to consume. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is, and a number of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds applying to university. We are committed to ensuring that all of our young people, no matter their background, have an equal chance of going to university. Our target is for 20 per cent of students entering university to be from Scotland's 20 per cent most-to-five backgrounds by 2030. The 2017 that UCAS starts on entrance demonstrates that we are making good progress towards this goal, with a 13 per cent increase in the number of Scots from the most deprived communities getting a place to study at Scottish universities. That means 605 additional people from the most deprived communities being accepted to study. Through the access delivery group, we will continue to work with universities to push forward our fair access agenda. Despite the Government rhetoric, recent UCAS starts show that applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds are percentages declining, whereas those from disadvantaged backgrounds are increasing. That is a worrying trend. What specific action is the Government taking to reverse the trend and give pupils in all areas of Scotland equal access to university? As I referred to in my original answer, the latest starts from UCAS demonstrate progress on the widening access agenda. The funding councils report on widening access produced figures for 2016-17, which are baseline figures that reference applications to university. Before the commission of widening access report came into place, the Government is obviously carrying out the recommendations of that report, and we expect to see further progress in future years. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reported go up take of co-ordinated support plans for children with additional support. Under the additional support for learning act, education authorities have a statutory duty to consider whether children or young people for whom they are responsible require a co-ordinated support plan. The purpose of the CSP is to enable support to be planned in a co-ordinated way to meet the needs of pupils who have complex or multiple needs, which requires significant support from education and any other agency. To support authorities in those considerations, in December 2017, we published the revised supporting learners code of practice, which includes guidance for authorities on meeting their duties under the act in relation to CSPs. Does the cabinet secretary accept that there is a direct link between the loss of hundreds of specialist additional support needs teachers and the exceptional go up take of co-ordinated support plans for young people with additional support needs? No, I do not accept that relationship because there is a statutory duty on local authorities to ensure that any child whose needs require a co-ordinated support plan must ensure that they receive a co-ordinated support plan. The two processes are entirely separate. There is a statutory duty and obligation on local authorities to ensure that they fulfil what is expected of them under the additional support for learning act. Members of the public, young people and their families have a right to expect that from local authorities. I apologise to the five members that I was unable to take. I am going to move straight on in a few moments to the next item of business, as that concludes portfolio question.