Chamber and committees

The statement shows that we cannot look at violence against women and girls in isolation, but here we are. We need to look not only at the financial security aspect but at community justice resources. The Deputy First Minister will be aware that the police do not currently have the power to disclose whether perpetrators are released back into the same community that their victims are in. If we are serious about tackling violence against women and girls, surely that should be consulted on—whether in relation to the community aspect or the financial aspect that we are discussing today.

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the fund to leave initiative, following reports that funding has not been made available to families since June. (S7O-00385)

That is a welcome response, but the Cabinet Secretary for Justice knows that leaving is not the end of the danger that women face. Around 60 per cent of women who leave will face stalking or some form of harassment, and I hope that he appreciates that a fund is not enough. Will the Scottish Government consider introducing a GPS tracker pilot to prevent perpetrators from breaching bail conditions and reoffending?

For people to feel comfortable in assisting with the identification and recording of child criminal exploitation, we need to improve whistleblowing policies in our country. Will the cabinet secretary confirm whether whistleblowing will be included in phase 11 of the Scottish child abuse inquiry, and is he comfortable that all areas of child safeguarding failures will be addressed as part of that review?

In July, it was reported that a 13-year-old girl requested to be moved out of a Scottish secure unit in which teenage male offenders were housed. Her plea was rejected, with her right to a single-sex space and safety ignored. This year, The Promise Scotland said:

“The way secure care is currently provided in Scotland is not sustainable.”

Does the minister agree? How many more vulnerable young people need to be placed in unsuitable accommodation?

I am just making a brief plea, because there is an equality element to that issue as well, so cross-portfolio working on it would be hugely appreciated.

Yes, but also the childcare review. Those two massive policies are being introduced at the same time. At the same time as you want to reduce the number of local authorities and change the whole dynamic of local government, you want to increase the childcare offering. How do you intend to do both at the same time?

I know the issue well, which is why I continuously raise it. We need to do better with childcare, and I want the Government to succeed on it. We need to do so not only because it helps families with their personal income but because it allows more economic activity, which I am sure that we all want to see.

On your point about putting pay decisions to the councils, there needs to be recognition from the Scottish Government that the policy guidance needs to be changed to make it fairer for the private, voluntary and independent sector. It is not only the public sector that we need to consider in relation to public service reform; in areas such as childcare provision, the Scottish Government, through policy decisions, has engaged and brought in other partners. Please keep that in mind when you look at those particular policies, because it is really important.

I am testing your patience, convener, so I am sorry, but I have one last question. I will move from childcare to breakfast provision because concerns have been raised, by Magic Breakfast in particular, about the Scottish Government’s plan to have the

policy implemented by August 2027. I want to look at provision for additional support needs schools, because that provision does not necessarily stay only within the primary sector age bracket. It can expand, depending on the needs and requirements of children and young people who are in those particular schools.

What work is the Scottish Government undertaking in that area, bearing in mind that helping children with breakfast provision in such schools will help the Government to meet its poverty pledges?

We need to talk about childcare because, as well as setting out its public service reform programme, the Scottish Government has announced a programme of childcare expansion. We have just heard about some of the challenges that families are facing with the current offering of funded hours. My first question relates to the fact that both those policies have been committed to at the same time, which means that we are having to look at things through both lenses. How does the Government intend to do that?

I appreciate your response. One of the challenges that the childcare provision sector—especially providers in the private, voluntary and independent space—faces is the disparity between the pay of nursery staff who work for PVI providers and that of those who work in council-run facilities. Will the funding formula and, in particular, that disparity of pay, be addressed through public service reform? Will the relevant funding—this is similar to the question that Fulton MacGregor asked—be allocated nationally, rather than on a local authority basis, as it is at the moment?