Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-37812

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 4 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many early learning staff have left the sector since 2021.

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. The Scottish Social Services Council may be able to assist with this question and can be contacted at:[email protected].

The most recently published annual workforce data (Scottish Social Service Sector: Report on 2023 Workforce Data) shows that the number of people working in daycare of children services and childminding reduced by 660 from 45,140 in 2021 to 44,480 in 2023.

Question reference: S6W-37809

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 4 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many early learning settings have operated from (a) temporary and (b) modular buildings, since 2015

The information requested is not held centrally. Decisions about where to locate an early learning and childcare (ELC) setting are the responsibility of the service provider. The Scottish Government does not routinely collect or hold information about the characteristics of buildings from which ELC services are provided. Statutory requirements for the fitness of premises to be used for the provision of ELC are set out in Section 10 of The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011.

Question reference: S6T-02550

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether its current investment in youth work is sufficient, in light of reports of an increase in youth violence and the loss of local youth services in recent years.

Question reference: S6O-04718

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the new report from the Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland, Whole person medical care: The value of the General Practitioner.

Question reference: S6O-04675

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of its current export and investment support policies.

Question reference: S6O-04654

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to address the reported lack of access to legal aid in rural regions.

Question reference: S6T-02486

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure greater access to affordable early years provision, in light of reports of the rising cost of childcare for families with children under the age of three.

Question reference: S6O-04533

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the reported rising childcare costs on families, particularly those on low and middle incomes, in light of recent research by the Coram Family and Childcare charity.

Question reference: S6W-35319

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 13 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that youth work services are accessible in areas of economic deprivation.

Question reference: S6W-35311

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 13 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of youth work on improving (a) mental health, (b) physical health and (c) wellbeing, and how it supports programmes that focus on promoting such work.

The Scottish Government recognises the valuable support provided to young people through high quality youth work. This work contributes to the Scottish Government’s priority of eradicating child poverty and tackling inequality.

Youth work falls within the scope of Community Learning and Development (CLD). The Requirements for Community Learning and Development (Scotland) Regulations 2013 require local authorities to plan and arrange the provision of CLD. In line with the Verity House Agreement, local authorities have the autonomy to deliver services to meet the needs of young people in their areas.

The Scottish Government published guidance to assist education authorities in producing their 3 year plan for CLD, as required by the 2013 Regulations. The guidance can be accessed at: www.gov.scot/publications/community-learning-development-guidance-2024-2027/documents/.

Current CLD plans, covering the period 2024-2027, can be found on Education Scotland’s website at: education.gov.scot/learning-in-scotland/education-sectors/community-learning-and-development-cld/local-authority-community-learning-and-development-plans/. As the 2013 Regulations place the duties on education authorities and the 3 year plans are published, the Scottish Government does not collate information on youth work programmes centrally.

I commissioned an independent review of CLD in December 2023. The Scottish Government welcomed the Learning: For All. For Life. report published in July 2024, which made 20 recommendations varying in complexity and scope. The report can be accessed at: www.gov.scot/publications/learning-life-report-independent-review-community-learning-development-cld/documents/.

The Scottish Government and CoSLA accepted recommendation 1.1 to set up a joint CLD Strategic Leadership Group. The Group will consider the remaining 19 recommendations of the report, including those relating to youth work.

Parliament dissolved ahead of election

Chamber and committees

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