School nurses pledge row

THE Scottish Government is breaking a pledge to double the number of school nurses, Labour claimed yesterday.

The SNP made the commitment going into the 2007 election, which saw them win power from Labour and the Liberal Democrats. The government says millions of pounds will be targeted to support the health of pupils over the next two years.

But the 308 school nurses in 2007 rose to just 330 in 2009, according to figures obtained by Labour under Freedom of Information laws from health boards around the country.

Labour MSP Jackie Baillie said: "This is yet another example of a broken promise from the SNP. They promised to double the number of school nurses, but at the current rate of progress it will take them 27 years."

But the government pointed to recent figures on school nurses published by independent statisticians who prepare all health figures. These indicate an increase from 221 in 2007 to 232 the following year and 257 in 2009.