All pupils in Scottish schools could benefit from free meals in the first three years of primary school if a pilot project is successful.

MSPs on a Holyrood committee today voted in favour of a £5 million trial scheme going ahead.

That will see more than 35,000 children in primaries one to three in the Borders, East Ayrshire, Fife, Glasgow, and West Dunbartonshire receiving free lunches.

Adam Ingram, the Scottish children's minister, told MSPs if the initiative was a success, it could be rolled out to the rest of the country.

The free school meals trial is due to start in just a few weeks time, when youngsters go back to school after the October holiday.

It was approved by members of the Education, Lifelong Learning and Culture Committee this morning and still has to be passed by Parliament as a whole.

But MSPs said the councils involved in the pilot project had already written to parents to tell them about it, and accused ministers of riding rough shod over Holyrood and its committees.

Committee convener Karen Whitefield said: "Is it not a little bit premature for these letters to be issued when this matter has not been given parliamentary approval.

"It seems to be that Parliament is being ridden rough shod over."

Tory children and schools spokeswoman Liz Smith added: "It was a great surprise to suddenly find these letters had been issued where it makes it clear to the parents concerned that they are eligible to receive these meals."

She told the minister: "I think our judgment has been slightly compromised."

Mr Ingram told MSPs that "perhaps it might have been better to wait until after today's meeting" before the letters went out to parents.

But he added: "The only people with egg on their faces are likely to be us in government if you do knock us back."

And he said: "Obviously if you don't approve the trial the local authorities will write to the parents and tell them it won't be happening."

Mr Ingram told MSPs there had already been a positive response to the pilot.

He said: "We are getting a very warm response from local authorities, from head teachers, from parents, who can see the positive benefits such a move would have for their children."

And he said that if the six-month long trial was judged to be successful the Scottish Government hoped to extend the scheme to all pupils in the first three years of primary school.

Liberal Democrat education spokesman Jeremy Purvis asked him: "Is it the intention of the government, if this pilot is successful, if there are no obstacles for roll out, to roll out for all primary one to three pupils free school meals."

Mr Ingram told him: "That would be our intention."