- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 10 October 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ben Macpherson on 7 November 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how it supports local authorities in measuring and reporting on the impact of youth work on young people’s economic wellbeing.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41190 on 7 November 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 13 October 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 7 November 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many Disclosure Scotland permanent job vacancies have remained unfilled for more than six months since May 2021.
Answer
I have asked Gerard Hart, Chief Executive of Disclosure Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:
From January 2022 to September 2025, there have been four permanent vacancies at Disclosure Scotland that were unfilled for more than six months (from when advert went live to start date). We cannot access data for the period May 2021 to December 2021 as the iCIMS system that stored this data has been discontinued.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 13 October 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 7 November 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many children have been temporarily unable to attend a local authority nursery due to staff shortages in the last 12 months.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 10 October 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 7 November 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the number of nurseries currently operating from temporary cabins or modular buildings rather than permanent structures.
Answer
The information requested is not held by the Scottish Government. 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 physical 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. These requirements are enforced by the Care Inspectorate during inspections and registration processes.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 10 October 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ben Macpherson on 7 November 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact of youth work on improving young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41190 on 7 November 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/questions-and-answers.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 10 October 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 7 November 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact that any delays in the processing of Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) certificates by Disclosure Scotland have had on recruitment in the (a) social care and (b) teaching sector in the last year.
Answer
I have asked Gerard Hart, Chief Executive of Disclosure Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:
Disclosure Scotland have undertaken priority work to ensure future planning for high application volume periods is informed by internal reviews and stakeholder feedback from managing summer 2025's increased volumes. This work did not include assessment of the impact of delays on recruitment in social care, teaching or any specific sectors.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 10 October 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 7 November 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the number of complaints that have been received regarding dampness, mould or ventilation issues in council-run nurseries since 2021.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information. It is the role of the Care Inspectorate to investigate complaints about registered care services, and these can include concerns about the fitness of premises, such as damp, mould, and ventilation issues.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 10 October 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 7 November 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many Disclosure Scotland employees have left their job, including through resignation, within their first year of employment since 2022.
Answer
I have asked Gerard Hart, Chief Executive of Disclosure Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:
Since 2022, seven permanent Disclosure Scotland employees have left their job within their first year of employment.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 10 October 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 7 November 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the average cost of private nursery fees for children aged under two, and what information it holds on the proportion of families that report going into debt to cover the cost of these fees.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information specifically, but information on the amount spent and affordability of childcare by age of child was collected as part of the Parent Survey: Supporting documents - Early learning and childcare - parents' views and use: survey findings 2022 - gov.scot published by the Scottish Government on 20 December 2022.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 13 October 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 7 November 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many referrals to social work have been made due to parental poverty or housing conditions since May 2021.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. This is a matter for local authorities. The member may wish to contact local authorities directly for this information.