Yesterday, John Swinney said that eradicating child poverty would be his Government’s top priority. However, since his statement, we have heard the following.

Fiona King of Save the Children said:

“The reality is there is nothing in this programme for government that truly shifts the dial on child poverty.”

Dr Lindsey MacDonald of Magic Breakfast said:

“Far from a manifesto on the eradication of child poverty, this plan will struggle to make a significant dent in the child poverty crisis that Scotland faces.”

Mary Glasgow, chief executive of Children 1st, said that the charity was

“deeply concerned that the drastic cuts to public spending will throw many children and families already in crisis over the edge.”

So, who is right: John Swinney or the growing list of experts who say that his programme will fail to tackle child poverty?

I recognise the enormity of the challenge that we face on child poverty; that is why it is my Government’s central mission to eradicate child poverty. The reason why child poverty levels are so high is that Scotland has suffered from 14 years of Conservative austerity and welfare cuts that have forced families into poverty. That has resulted in the Scottish Government taking steps to spend more than £400 million on measures such as the Scottish child payment, which, along with our other measures, is keeping 100,000 children out of poverty.

I respect all the organisations and individuals that Douglas Ross raised with me. Those are people who care deeply about the eradication of poverty, as do I. I think that they would accept that child poverty has been made the crisis that it is in our country today because of the actions for which Douglas Ross voted when he supported the Conservative Government in the House of Commons.

John Swinney says that he respects and cares deeply about those experts. However, they were not speaking about previous decisions of the UK Government or current decisions of the Labour Government—they were commenting on his programme for government and, specifically, on the lack of action within it to tackle child poverty.

If the First Minister will not listen to those experts, perhaps John Swinney will listen to John Swinney. When he was Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, he announced the policy of free school meals for every primary school pupil in Scotland, and he said:

“we must not go back to kids going hungry in the classroom.”

First, that policy was supposed to happen in 2022; then it was delayed to 2026; and now the programme for government seems to have ditched it entirely. Can the First Minister be honest with people across Scotland? Will his Government deliver on its promise of free school meals to all primary school pupils during the current session of Parliament?

I in no way dismissed the expert commentary that Douglas Ross put to me. I will not have him misrepresenting my words in Parliament. I respect all those commentators, just as I respect the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which, in its “UK Poverty 2023” report, said:

“Divergence in policy across nations will probably drive greater disparity in poverty rates across”

the UK. It also said:

“Scotland has taken decisive action in defining child poverty targets in legislation and enhancing the benefits system with a Scottish child payment”.

The latest statistics show that the child poverty rate in Scotland is 24 per cent, compared with 30 per cent in England, 29 per cent in Wales and 23 per cent in Northern Ireland. I simply put that data on the record to demonstrate that we are taking action, but we are having to swim against a tide of austerity and welfare cuts that were inflicted on us by the previous Conservative Government, of which Douglas Ross was a supporter. That is before we get near the financial wreckage done by Liz Truss, which Douglas Ross wanted me to emulate. Thank goodness I did not do that.

The challenges that we face were well rehearsed to Parliament by the finance secretary on Tuesday. Cumulative inflation, which has been calculated at 18.9 per cent over the past three years, has undermined the value of the money that we have available. The Government will deliver the commitment that I set out yesterday, which is to ensure that free school meals are available for all primary 1 to primary 5 pupils on a universal basis, and for primary 6 and primary 7 pupils who are eligible for the Scottish child payment. We will deliver that in this parliamentary session.

I really do not know why Scottish National Party members are applauding that, because it was a very long answer that did not address my specific point. I will try again. Does John Swinney commit now to deliver the pledge, which he made as education secretary, to deliver free school meals to all primary school pupils by the end of this parliamentary session? That was a simple question that can surely get a simple yes-or-no answer.

Let me ask about another pledge that the SNP made to the poorest children in Scotland. This year’s exam results showed that, at higher level, the attainment gap is wider than ever. As education secretary, John Swinney vowed to eradicate the attainment gap completely, yet John Swinney the First Minister’s bold ambition is merely to seek to reduce it—and he is even failing at that. Is he proud that his legacy will be Scotland’s poorest children falling further behind?

The Government is facing very challenging financial times. Yesterday, I set out that we will deliver on our commitment to ensure that free school meals are available for primary 6 and primary 7 pupils who are eligible for the Scottish child payment.

It should be for all primary 6 and all primary 7 pupils.

Let us hear the First Minister.

We will not be able, in this parliamentary session, to roll out universal eligibility across primary 6 and primary 7 pupils, because our budget has been eroded by the fiscal mismanagement and the sky-high inflation that Douglas Ross was party to creating as part of his support for the United Kingdom Government.

On the question of the attainment gap, the Scottish Government has given steadfast support to the education system through the delivery of the Scottish attainment challenge and the provision of pupil equity funding. What do we see? We see that, among young people who are leaving school and going into positive destinations, the attainment gap has reduced by 60 per cent. That is transformational for the lives of young people in Scotland, and I am glad that the Scottish Government has delivered on those commitments.

I am glad that, at my second attempt, I was able to get an honest answer out of John Swinney. He has confirmed that the SNP is breaking its promise to deliver free school meals to all primary school pupils in Scotland. That is movement from the position of his Deputy First Minister, who, when asked about it on the radio just this morning, suggested that it might still be possible and that the Government would do so during this session of Parliament if budgets allowed. John Swinney has ruled that out. He is now announcing to people across Scotland that the promise that he made as education secretary—[ Interruption .]

Let us hear Mr Ross.

—in asking people to support the SNP in order to get it into government has now been broken. Eradicating the attainment gap was supposed to be the SNP’s number 1 priority, but the gap is as wide as ever. Now it is clear that the top priority of eradicating child poverty is going to go the same way, because the First Minister has just announced that the Government has abandoned its pledge to provide free school meals for all.

For 17 years, this Government has overpromised and underdelivered for Scotland’s children. No one will believe yet another SNP empty promise to add to the pile.

This week’s programme for government was supposed to be John Swinney’s big relaunch, but instead we got more of the same from an SNP Government that is out of ideas and out of ambition. Are broken promises such as the one that John Swinney has just announced today the best that he has to offer Scotland’s children?

My commitment to eradicating child poverty is steadfast in the programme for government, and the Government is putting in the resources to make sure that we can achieve that objective. More than £400 million has been spent on the Scottish child payment, which is keeping 100,000 children out of poverty. That is what is happening on this Government’s watch. We have a lower child poverty rate in Scotland—it is far too high for my liking, but it has been made worse by 14 years of the folly and actions of the Conservative Government.

Your choices and your decisions.

As usual, Douglas Ross, from his front-bench seat, shouts and interrupts me, and he says that it is my choices.

You’re getting angry.

Mr Ross!

Yes, it is my choice, Mr Ross. It is my choice to make sure that we invest in the future of Scotland, which the Conservative Government destroyed with the austerity agenda that was supported by all the Conservative members over there.

What the people of Scotland will hear from this Government is a determination to ensure that we deliver on our commitments to lift children out of poverty, whereas the Tories have made the situation worse.

Before we move to question 2, I remind members of the requirement that they conduct themselves in a courteous and respectful manner, and that includes respecting the authority of the Presiding Officer when they are asked to desist from behaviour that is neither.