Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 04 June 2025
04 Jun 2025 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Portfolio Question Time
Nursery Closures (Aberdeenshire Council)
Education and Skills
The minister will be aware that the Tories run Aberdeenshire Council, so Mr Burnett should raise the issue with his Tory colleagues. The Scottish Government is funding local authorities to deliver 1,140 hours of ELC to all eligible children, including those in Aberdeenshire. That policy is crucial to providing the best start in life for our children. Will the minister provide information on how the addressing depopulation action plan contributes to that objective?
In the same item of business
5. Alexander Burnett (Aberdeenshire West) (Con)
Con
To ask the Scottish Government when the children’s minister last met with Aberdeenshire Council to discuss nursery closures. (S6O-04756)
The Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise (Natalie Don-Innes)
SNP
As I have explained previously, it is the statutory responsibility of local authorities to manage their early learning and childcare estate in consultation w...
Alexander Burnett
Con
I am glad that the minister is aware of the proposal to mothball four nurseries in Aberdeenshire. A full council meeting is taking place next Monday to make ...
Natalie Don-Innes
SNP
I can confirm, as I said in my previous answer, that senior Scottish Government officials wrote to the council’s director of education on 29 May to draw the ...
Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP)
SNP
The minister will be aware that the Tories run Aberdeenshire Council, so Mr Burnett should raise the issue with his Tory colleagues. The Scottish Government ...
Natalie Don-Innes
SNP
Ms Mackay raises an extremely important point. In relation to the challenges, the addressing depopulation action plan sets out the Scottish Government’s stra...