Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 15 March 2012
15 Mar 2012 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Childcare
I am being accused of negativity by an SNP minister. Now, there’s a thing.
If we are to answer the First Minister’s plea for this united front to be successful, surely we need to recognise where others are leading the way, be prepared to learn lessons and be willing to follow suit. I fully accept the Government’s view that there will be places across Europe where such good or better practice can be identified, but Ms Campbell must not allow nationalistic myopia to blind her to what is on our doorstep. I have lost track of the number of times when I have urged Scottish ministers to look at the benefits that are being delivered through the pupil premium, which is targeting resources at the children who most need them and is enabling schools to put in the additional tailored support that is most appropriate in each instance. Save the Children, among others, points to what a similar system in Scotland might achieve. However, the mere fact that the pupil premium is being taken forward by the coalition Government south of the border means that it is dogmatically rejected by Scottish ministers.
Even when it admits to supporting a UK initiative—for example, the youth contract—the SNP Government seems to be reluctant to advertise the fact. In the case of the youth contract, which can make a real difference by creating meaningful opportunities for young people to access the work or training that they need, such muted support from the Scottish Government is totally counterproductive, but it is part of a pattern. The nationalist narrative simply cannot tolerate the suggestion that the approach that the UK coalition Government is taking might be more generous or more effective.
In England and Wales, duties are outlined in the Childcare Act 2006 that require local authorities to secure sufficient childcare for working parents and those who are studying with the intention of returning to work. In Scotland, no such legislative requirement exists. “The Scottish Childcare Lottery” reports that, while local authorities in England are undertaking three-yearly assessments of childcare supply and demand with annual updates, the picture in Scotland is mixed. Some councils are carrying out detailed studies, but in the case of at least eight, there appears to be no collection of data on childcare supply.
The minister states in her amendment that the Government will work with the early years task force, local authorities and others to deliver improvements. That is a sensible approach, but we need to acknowledge the extent to which there are still serious blind spots in our understanding of the problems that exist. A failure to understand even basic childcare supply and demand means that local authorities are not able to intervene effectively in childcare markets in order to address gaps, which is a key component of the framework.
The Scottish Government will point to steps that it is taking, and that is fair.
If we are to answer the First Minister’s plea for this united front to be successful, surely we need to recognise where others are leading the way, be prepared to learn lessons and be willing to follow suit. I fully accept the Government’s view that there will be places across Europe where such good or better practice can be identified, but Ms Campbell must not allow nationalistic myopia to blind her to what is on our doorstep. I have lost track of the number of times when I have urged Scottish ministers to look at the benefits that are being delivered through the pupil premium, which is targeting resources at the children who most need them and is enabling schools to put in the additional tailored support that is most appropriate in each instance. Save the Children, among others, points to what a similar system in Scotland might achieve. However, the mere fact that the pupil premium is being taken forward by the coalition Government south of the border means that it is dogmatically rejected by Scottish ministers.
Even when it admits to supporting a UK initiative—for example, the youth contract—the SNP Government seems to be reluctant to advertise the fact. In the case of the youth contract, which can make a real difference by creating meaningful opportunities for young people to access the work or training that they need, such muted support from the Scottish Government is totally counterproductive, but it is part of a pattern. The nationalist narrative simply cannot tolerate the suggestion that the approach that the UK coalition Government is taking might be more generous or more effective.
In England and Wales, duties are outlined in the Childcare Act 2006 that require local authorities to secure sufficient childcare for working parents and those who are studying with the intention of returning to work. In Scotland, no such legislative requirement exists. “The Scottish Childcare Lottery” reports that, while local authorities in England are undertaking three-yearly assessments of childcare supply and demand with annual updates, the picture in Scotland is mixed. Some councils are carrying out detailed studies, but in the case of at least eight, there appears to be no collection of data on childcare supply.
The minister states in her amendment that the Government will work with the early years task force, local authorities and others to deliver improvements. That is a sensible approach, but we need to acknowledge the extent to which there are still serious blind spots in our understanding of the problems that exist. A failure to understand even basic childcare supply and demand means that local authorities are not able to intervene effectively in childcare markets in order to address gaps, which is a key component of the framework.
The Scottish Government will point to steps that it is taking, and that is fair.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Tricia Marwick)
NPA
Good morning. The first item of business is a debate on motion S4M-02338, in the name of Liam McArthur, on childcare.09:15
Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (LD)
LD
As Liberal Democrat education spokesman since last May, I have had the chance to participate in debates that have covered most aspects of how our education s...
Mark McDonald (North East Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
Taking all that into consideration, how will the move by Mr McArthur’s party, as part of the UK Government, to withdraw tax credits from 73,300 Scottish fami...
Liam McArthur
LD
I am grateful to Mark McDonald for again coming up with the standard stump speech from Scottish National Party members about things for which they do not hav...
Liam McArthur
LD
I am not sure what message that sends to the authors of the report or to those who are struggling day and daily with the problems that the report clearly ide...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
With all this negativity, will the member not at least try to concede that we should welcome the bold and ambitious target that the First Minister has set fo...
Liam McArthur
LD
I am being accused of negativity by an SNP minister. Now, there’s a thing.If we are to answer the First Minister’s plea for this united front to be successfu...
Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (Lab)
Lab
I accept that there are issues for the Scottish Government to look at in the forthcoming legislation, including Liam McArthur’s suggestions about what is hap...
Liam McArthur
LD
I am well aware of the concern that Mr Chisholm reiterates. However, the £300 million that has been invested in the childcare support element of universal cr...
The Minister for Children and Young People (Aileen Campbell)
SNP
I am proud to open the debate for the Government, because it comes after the First Minister’s hugely important announcement on childcare at the weekend. The ...
Gavin Brown (Lothian) (Con)
Con
Given the commitments that were made in 2007, and to which Mr McArthur referred, why has it taken so long to get to this stage? When will the Government’s pa...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
We are committed to making improvements to the life chances of children across Scotland and to introducing potential legislation next year. We will work with...
Annabelle Ewing (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP)
SNP
Would the minister be interested to hear that, at the Welfare Reform Committee meeting the other day, not one of the groups that represented civic Scotland h...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
Annabelle Ewing raises a very good point, to which Liam McArthur should pay close attention.We have committed to increasing early learning and childcare prov...
Neil Bibby (West Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I thank Liam McArthur for introducing the debate, and pay tribute to childcare providers in Scotland, such as North Edinburgh Childcare, which I visited last...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
Will Neil Bibby welcome the commitment that the First Minister made at the weekend to 600 hours of free early education and childcare?
Neil Bibby
Lab
I thank the minister for raising that issue, to which I will come shortly.Parents in Scotland are being hit by a double whammy. They are, first, being hit by...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
I remind Neil Bibby of my announcement about engaging with the third sector to identify gaps. Will he welcome that move, if not the 600 hours?
Neil Bibby
Lab
Absolutely, I will. As I said, we need to engage with children’s charities and national organisations, so of course we welcome that.We need a model in which ...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
I call Liz Smith.09:39
Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer.
Gavin Brown
Con
Presiding Officer.
Liz Smith
Con
I apologise, Presiding Officer.I thank the Liberals for bringing the debate to Parliament. Nobody in any political party in Parliament doubts how important t...
The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning (Michael Russell)
SNP
Liz Smith uses the phrase that the solution “is the right one”. Can she equate that with the report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies that shows that the...
Liz Smith
Con
What is right is the principle that it is better to be in work than on benefits. I fully accept that the coalition needs to revise details of its policy and ...
Margaret Burgess (Cunninghame South) (SNP)
SNP
I think that we all agree that supporting children in their earliest years gives them opportunities for learning and development that make a huge difference ...
Willie Rennie (Mid Scotland and Fife) (LD)
LD
Does Margaret Burgess accept that the extra £300 million that we are putting in through universal credit for childcare support is a positive thing?
Margaret Burgess
SNP
What I accept is that through the Con-Dem Government people have lost out. Last year in North Ayrshire, 1,200 families lost an average of £450 a year. Incide...
John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
Lab
Today’s debate is timely. We have spent a lot of time talking about the impact on families, but I believe that the debate is clearly about the economy: it is...
Mark McDonald (North East Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
It takes a brass neck for the Lib Dems to come to the chamber to complain about the affordability of childcare while they vote in coalition with the Tories a...