Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has regular and extensive dialogues with DWP on data sharing for a range of purposes, one of which is to establish the eligible 2-year-old population at Scotland level. Regular updates are requested inside our ongoing working relationship. DWP are not currently able to provide an expected date for sharing this data. In the meantime, we are working with estimates of the eligible population derived from available sources.

The Scottish Government’s Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment considered the impacts of the Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) expansion on private and third sector providers. In the current market, the majority of private and third sector providers’ income (around 77%) comes from fees charged to parents and carers for non-funded hours (i.e. additional childcare on top of the funded entitlement; or childcare for children not yet eligible for funded ELC).

Local authorities’ original expansion plans forecast that the share of providers’ income accounted for by funded hours would increase with the roll-out of 1140 hours, as settings allocate more capacity towards delivering funded hours. This is reflected in the latest delivery data. The increase will be, in part, due to previously paid-for (wraparound) hours now being funded, and in part due to children newly accessing funded hours at the setting.

Local authorities and private and third sector ELC providers are working in partnership to develop a local offer of funded ELC that responds to parental demand and may include different patterns of provision based on different business models. There is no requirement on private and third sector ELC providers to change their overall capacity and therefore staffing models as a result of the ELC expansion, although we recognise that providers may of course choose to do so.

We recognise also that private and third sector providers are being affected by large scale local authority ELC recruitment. We are working with sector representative bodies to support providers with recruitment, including through our campaign website: www.childcarecarecareersscotland.scot which hosts job adverts from across all ELC sectors.

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.

We know that high quality early learning and childcare can play an important role in reducing the poverty related attainment gap. We have dedicated funding for 435 equity and excellent leads to work in all 32 local authorities with a focus on improving outcomes for children in the most deprived areas of Scotland.

Local authorities have reported that 94% of the Equity and Excellence lead posts have now been filled (410 full time equivalent posts). The Scottish Government is continuing to work closely with local authorities with outstanding posts to fill. Progress is monitored on a regular basis. Local Authorities are aiming to fill these posts as swiftly as possible.

Some posts have taken longer to recruit for than anticipated. This is partly because these roles can be very specialised and many local authorities have included additional criteria to ensure the most suitable, highly qualified candidates are in place to support children experiencing disadvantage.

Consultation on the development of Island Community Impact Assessments (ICIAs) provisions within the Act has now been completed. Policy development is underway and a timeline for the commencement of section 14 is being finalised.

In the meantime, although there is no duty to do an impact assessment, all Ministerial colleagues have been advised of the provisions of the Islands Act, with the recent Fuel Poverty (Targets Definition and Strategy) (Scotland) Bill being a good example of how Ministers are trying to reflect the need to island proof legislation, in advance of the development of the ICIA tool being finalised.

We have also been advising our agencies and partners, where possible to operate in the spirit of the Act, and to consider island issues in their work bearing in mind that the Act would allow for an impact assessment, to potentially be applied retrospectively, where appropriate.