Question reference: S6W-14290
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 24 January 2023
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Current status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 7 February 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will increase the funded childcare entitlement to the equivalent of 50 hours a week.
Answer
Since August 2021 the Scottish Government has funded 1140 hours of high-quality early learning and childcare (ELC) for all eligible children. Scotland is the only part of the UK to offer 1140 hours a year of funded ELC to all three- and four-year-olds - and eligible two-year-olds regardless of whether their parents are in work or not, putting children first. If families paid for this offer themselves, it would cost them around £5,000 per eligible child per year.
We have already set out ambitious plans to expand our childcare offer further this Parliament. The Strategic Childcare Plan published last October explained how we will approach building a system of school age childcare, offering care before and after school and in the holidays, and developing an offer to provide funded early learning and childcare to all one- and two-year-olds, starting in the course of this Parliament with families who will benefit most.