Meeting of the Parliament 28 May 2014
Achieving all that will be one of the major gains of independence. The experts agree with that premise. [Interruption.]
Labour members may laugh, but if they want to learn, they should listen to what I am going to say.
Professor Sir Donald MacKay, an economic adviser to previous secretaries of state for Scotland, said in written evidence to the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee:
“No financially responsible Scottish Government would dare to implement the childcare proposals under the fixed block grant funding of devolution, unless they were prepared to take an axe to existing programmes”.
Bronwen Cohen, the former chief executive of Children in Scotland, noted the difficulties in transforming childcare without independence because of “split responsibilities and policies”.
Moreover, our plans for childcare have been widely welcomed, with experts recognising the potential that our proposals have for improving the lives of children and families across Scotland. Jackie Brock, the current chief executive of Children in Scotland, said:
“The White Paper proposals by the Scottish Government are really exciting. We call them a game changer.”
It is therefore a real pity that, despite the enthusiasm over our ambitions for childcare, Labour persists with its negativity.