More than £55,000 in school meal debts run up by children and families in Fife should be written off, say the Scottish Greens.
Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP Mark Ruskell is calling for more than £1 million in unpaid fees across Scotland to be discounted – including the £55,455 recorded in Fife.
Figures released following a Freedom of Information request by the Greens show the national school meals debt has reached at least £1.17 million.
The total is likely to be considerably higher since a number of local authorities did not provide figures.
As much as £434,545 is owed to Aberdeen City Council for unpaid school meals, while Dundee City Council still has £20,650 outstanding.
Every child at a council-run school is entitled to free lunches in the first years of primary in Scotland. Pupils can also receive free school lunches after P3 if their parents or care givers are in receipt of benefits or tax credits.
Mr Ruskell wants Scotland to move to a similar system to that which exists in Finland where all youngsters are provided with free meals.
“Children in Fife and across the country are going hungry,” he said.
“We know that means-tested free school meals miss out far too many families who need them.
“If it is serious about closing the attainment gap, the Scottish Government should follow the example of Finland by providing all pupils with access to a free, nutritious breakfast and lunch, including during school holidays.
“The first step towards that would be writing off this frankly astonishing and growing debt.”
Les Robertson, head of revenue and commercial services at Fife Council, said: “As a council we have a duty to local tax payers to try and recover all debts owed to us.
“However, we will not leave any child hungry and we will continue to work with families to make sure those entitled to free school meals claim them.
“Appropriate payment plans can be put in place for families who may need more flexibility.”
Deputy First Minister John Swinney defended the existing arrangements.
“The Scottish Government introduced free school meals for all P1 to P3 pupils four years ago and has extended eligibility for lower-income households,” he said.
“Healthy and nutritious free school meals benefit pupils’ learning and health and can save eligible families around £400 per child per year, part of our £1.4 billion support for low-income households.
“Eligible families with children above P3 can register for free school meals and if families face financial difficulties but do not meet national eligibility criteria, they can speak to their local authority to access appropriate advice and assistance.”
