Chamber and committees

The cabinet secretary mentioned the commitment to examine the case for fixed links on the Sound of Barra and the Sound of Harris. Aside from the obvious benefits, there is another incentive, given the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s reclassification of those waters and the potential implications for the type of replacement vessels that will eventually be required. Can the cabinet secretary give an update on that aspect of the issue?

Whom will we write to?

I will conclude there, Presiding Officer.

I thank Megan Gallacher for bringing the debate to the chamber.

We can all agree that the first few years of a child’s life are instrumental for their development and in shaping their potential. Parents and caregivers therefore need to be supported in creating a nurturing environment in the home and through access to high quality, affordable childcare.

The Scottish Government continues to demonstrate its commitment to achieving those aims, not least through deferral, the successful baby box scheme, free school meals for all primary school pupils, and the expansion of funded early learning and childcare.

It was not mentioned earlier, but the SNP Government inherited a system that delivered just 412 hours of childcare. Now more than 83,000 children in Scotland are accessing 1,140 hours of high-quality funded ELC. My understanding is that that represents 87 per cent of children. That is not to be complacent, but it provides a bit of context for what has gone before in this debate. However, it is vital that we continue to work towards creating a society where all parents have a genuine choice about how their families will balance employment and caring duties. As well as benefiting families, our wider economy will reap the rewards.

A recent study in Quebec found that, for every $1 invested in childcare infrastructure there, the economy benefited by up to $2.80 in increased employment. That is why the Scottish Government’s commitment to continuing to expand funded early learning and childcare is so vital for Scotland’s long-term prosperity. It is right that we are ambitious in our vision for Scotland’s childcare, and all types of providers have key roles to play.

The motion for today’s debate rightly highlights the damaging impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the childcare sector, but it also cites the

“growth of the local authority sector”,

which, in the view of the National Day Nurseries Association, is the reason for what it calls a childcare “crisis”. However, the growth of the local authority sector has been instrumental in expanding access to childcare for all eligible preschool children, irrespective of their circumstances. Again, that has to be acknowledged.

I certainly do not claim that the system that we have at the moment is perfection, but I think that we should celebrate the fact that local authorities are paying attractive rates and running effective childcare across the country. The funding agreement between the Scottish Government and COSLA allows local authorities to pay sustainable rates at a level that enables private and third sector services to pay at least the real living wage to staff who are delivering funded ELC. That should be noted in its own right.

The Scottish Government investment has resulted in childcare staffing numbers rising from 33,000 to 38,000 over the past five years. I acknowledge that, as is the case in many sectors, recruitment and retention of staff continue to pose a challenge—not least partly as a result of Brexit, it must be said. However, I acknowledge examples in my own constituency of problems created by staffing shortages. For instance, I can think of a private nursery provider that had to abruptly close one of its rooms just before Christmas. The local authority has worked hard to find spaces for all the displaced three to five-year-olds at short notice. However, parents there—I accept that the same is true in other places—have understandable concerns about the situation, not least because there is no alternative provision for children under 2 in the area.

You have mentioned the undoubtedly harsh budget context from the UK Government. We will talk about the culture part of that. You touched on how Creative Scotland might be compensated for reduced lottery funding. Will you say a bit more about what the Scottish Government has done in that area?

I am sure that others will also have questions about Ukraine. You mentioned a sanctions package that has been pursued at EU level. Will the presidency seek to develop that into new areas?

Creative Scotland pointed out the issue to us in previous evidence. Am I right in thinking that the Scottish Government has compensated it for generally reduced lottery funding?

I echo what the convener says. However complex the relationship between the UK and the EU may be, there is a very warm relationship with Scotland that I hope we can continue to develop.

As the convener also said, a number of us have questions about Ukraine. When we talk about Ukraine, it is difficult to separate the collective EU response and the interest that we have in the Swedish response to the situation. I do not know which you want to talk about, but it would be nice to hear both perspectives on how you reacted to the situation in Ukraine.

Have the decisions that the UK Government has made about ending Covid recovery funding and the timing of those decisions had any impact on the situation in Scotland and how you have had to respond to it?