Question reference: S5W-25748
- Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Date lodged: 9 October 2019
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Current status: Answered by Maree Todd on 6 November 2019
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-24897 by Maree Todd on 23 September 2019, for what reason it will not provide the (a) figures and (b) narrative provided by individual local authorities.
Answer
The Scottish Government publishes proactively Early Learning and Childcare Expansion Delivery Progress Reports at a national level. These reports are based on information provided in confidence by local authorities to the Improvement Service, to enable reporting to the ELC Expansion Joint Delivery Board.
Local authorities reasonably assume and expect that the data they provide in confidence will be used to inform the nature of targeted support offered; programme assurance at a national level; and the routine publication of national level data; and not the publication of individual narrative text at local authority level. The free and frank exchange of views between local government, the Improvement Service and central government is an important enabling condition of a successful ELC expansion and therefore in the public interest.