8. To ask the Scottish Government how many schools have been built and refurbished, and at what cost, in East Ayrshire and across Scotland since 2007. (S5O-03540)

Between 2007-08 and 2018-19, 928 schools were built or refurbished in Scotland, of which 21 were in East Ayrshire. Since 2007, the Government and local authorities have collectively invested about £4 billion in improving the school estate. Through the schools for the future programme, the Government and East Ayrshire Council have invested £143 million in six school projects.

It is great to hear that the Scottish National Party Government has completed all that important work in the school estate across Scotland. Will the cabinet secretary outline when all the schools in the East Ayrshire Council area will be upgraded and brought up to a satisfactory condition?

According to the latest school estates statistics, East Ayrshire Council has two schools in condition C—that is, in poor condition. Improvement works are expected to be complete at Netherthird primary school by the end of March 2021 and at St Sophia primary school by the end of June 2021, after which all schools in East Ayrshire will be in the good or satisfactory categories.

Willie Coffey mentioned the scale of the achievement in building all those schools. That undertaking happened during a period of austerity. Had it not been for the Conservative Government’s cuts and had capital budgets remained at the same level as they had been in 2010-11 when it came to office, we would have had in Scotland an additional £7.7 billion in real terms at 2018-19 prices to spend on capital investment, which could have been spent on school investment.