Chamber and committees

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?

I appreciate that, minister. I am also a former councillor—I was on North Lanarkshire Council.

It is a pleasure to follow David Linden. This debate, like so many debates of its type, really shows Parliament at its best. Families who have bravely shared their stories, MSPs and campaigners have all come together to highlight the importance of remembrance and reflection for baby loss. I thank Patricia Gibson, too, not only for sharing her story with us, as she has done in other chambers, but for bringing this members’ business debate to the chamber, because it is important that we get back on track to support families who need it most.

Many members have mentioned outstanding charities such as Tommy’s, Simba, the Baby Loss Retreat, Sands and Held In Our Hearts, to name but a few. Recently, I had the honour of meeting Nicola and Rossi in Edinburgh, and I was blown away by the kindness, compassion and support that they provide to families who have experienced loss. I watched a film in which families whom they had supported over many years spoke about their own stories and about what Held In Our Hearts had meant to them. It was incredibly moving—if any colleagues want to visit Held In Our Hearts to see the services that it provides, I would seriously recommend it.

However, the support that Held In Our Hearts provides to many families is not as widespread as we would all like it to be. If we want such organisations to expand their reach, they need Government support. It should not matter where you live—if you experience one of the most difficult losses imaginable, that support should be available to you. I hope that the minister can update members tonight on the work that is currently being undertaken to support organisations in this vitally important area.

I know that there is a review under way, but I would also like the minister to explain, if she can, why there is no framework for the minimum level of support that should be provided when a baby dies; why the hospital to home service has not been expanded; why health visitors do not routinely include families who have suffered a loss; and why there is no dedicated mental health support for families who have suffered the loss of a baby. I hope that the new session of Parliament brings plans and, crucially, as Miles Briggs said, clear timescales for the implementation of those plans.

I also highlight the need to increase the provision of overnight accommodation for families in neonatal units. I have had conversations with the minister about that, because, even at present, for every 10 babies who need neonatal care, there is only one bed available in a neonatal unit. Parents need that precious time with their babies, to participate in care and, should the worst happen, to create memories with their children, because those moments can never be replaced. Ensuring that hospitals have appropriate accommodation is about dignity and compassion, and we have all spoken with dignity and compassion this evening.

We need to treat parents as parents and babies as babies. If the worst should happen and a baby is lost, we cannot change that; Patricia Gibson made that absolutely clear. However, we can make sure that parents are supported and that we give them time with their baby. If the minister can announce that she will implement a framework and work with health boards to increase the number of neonatal unit beds for families, that would a good start in changing the support that is currently available to parents.

We can look at reviews, as they are helpful, but we also need the Government to look at which recommendations have already been implemented from previous reviews; what has perhaps been missed out; and what fixes could be put in place—as many of us have mentioned tonight—as we wait on the review that is currently under way to conclude and report. If there are quick fixes that everyone can get behind, we should absolutely implement those.

I will end on that point, because we are here to remember babies who have been lost and the families who have lost them, but we are also here to ensure that the supports that we give families in the future are supports that will hold strong and that we can all get behind as a Parliament.

I thank the minister for answering many of the concerns that have been raised by members this evening. I have not yet heard anything on neonatal beds. I understand that the minister is trying to address many issues in a short period, but I believe that there was meant to be an update on data issued in autumn 2026 on on-site accommodation and provisions for partners and siblings. Is that data coming soon, and can the minister share that with members who are interested?

Lessons do need to be learned, but one of the main concerns raised with me by the private, voluntary and independent sectors is the disparity of pay between that sector and local authorities. What is being done to actively close that hourly rate gap? Does the minister believe that those issues need to be fixed before we look at the expansion of childcare in Scotland?

My thoughts are also with workers who are impacted and their families.

We need a long-term economic plan for Grangemouth that will help to maintain skills and jobs in the area. What due diligence was carried out before Syngenta was awarded £2.2 million of public funding and could that money be redirected to support workers at Grangemouth?

When I attended hustings hosted by Pregnant Then Screwed, I had the opportunity to meet a mum of twins—in fact, Willie Rennie and I had the honour of holding those beautiful babies. That mother has started the twin tax campaign and is calling on the Scottish Government to provide funded childcare to families with twins and other multiples before the end of 2027. Will the minister do that?

Parents will hold this Government to account on its plans to expand funded childcare, but I want to raise the current issues in our childcare system, such as cross-boundary issues, staffing and, of course, current funding mechanisms that threaten the financial viability of the private, voluntary and independent sector. How will the minister grapple with the current issues while looking at expansion?