To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with East Dunbartonshire Council regarding the condition of Milngavie primary school. (S6O-04000)

Scottish Government officials continue to be in close contact with East Dunbartonshire Council regarding the condition of Milngavie primary school. The council advised that it has had a number of site meetings at the school with the parent council, councillors and MSPs. It stated that those meetings were positive and helped the council to demonstrate the work that has been completed to date. Further remedial work is planned and the council has assured us that it will continue to engage with the parent council and school community as it progresses.

Milngavie primary school is a Victorian-era building and it is in poor condition. East Dunbartonshire Council had a plan for a full and thorough refurbishment that should have begun by now, but that plan had to be put on hold as a knock-on effect of the previous United Kingdom Government’s decision to cut Scotland’s capital budget by 20 per cent. The urgent remedial work that has taken place has resolved some of the most acute issues, but a thorough refurbishment of the building is clearly required. That is the consensus of all political parties and elected representatives in East Dunbartonshire.

Is the cabinet secretary willing to visit the school with me? Given the slight relief to Scotland’s capital settlement as a result of the most recent UK budget announcement, will the Government consider providing an increase to the learning estate improvement programme to allow both Milngavie primary school and the other schools in East Dunbartonshire that require refurbishment or a full rebuild to proceed?

I thank Ross Greer for his interest in the matter. He has written to me directly and I am happy to confirm on the record that I will visit the school with him and ask officials to continue their engagement with East Dunbartonshire Council.

It is worth putting it on the record that the funding that was announced in the UK Government’s autumn statement was broadly in line with our planning assumptions. However, we will continue to look carefully at the context of education consequentials.

Ross Greer will know that the reason why the new UK Government has been forced to prioritise investment in school buildings is a legacy of the Conservative Government’s previous starving of investment in school buildings in England. That is not the case in Scotland, where we have prioritised investment in our school estate. That has been shown in the latest statistics, with more than 91 per cent of our buildings now in good or satisfactory condition.

East Dunbartonshire Council has benefited from £10.2 million for schools in its area through the previous schools for the future programme, and is benefiting through the learning estate investment programme. I am happy to continue to work with Ross Greer on the issue. I recognise the strength of local feeling. Officials will continue to engage with the local authority.

Worried parents, including the president of the parent council, have written to me expressing distress over the state of Milngavie primary school. I visited the school premises last month, and it was clear that more substantial work needs to be done. I have also received correspondence from parents at Westerton primary school in Bearsden, who said that that school building is in dire need of repair. What action is the Scottish Government taking to ensure that children’s safety in schools is a number 1 priority?

It is worth reminding Pam Gosal that the school estate does not belong to the Scottish Government. It is owned by local authorities. Responsibility for the school estate therefore rests with the local authority.

I very much hear the strength of feeling from Pam Gosal, which has also been reflected by Ross Greer. I hope that she has heard my continued commitment to engaging with the local authority on the issue.

The Government has provided significant additional investment to improve the quality of our school estate. Back in 2007, approximately 61 per cent of the estate was in good or satisfactory condition; today, the figure is more than 91 per cent. That has happened only as a direct result of investment from the Government. I hope that Pam Gosal recognises that, and I commit again to working directly with the local authority on helping to drive the improvements in the primary school that she named.