by Bill Heaney
But she was swiftly pulled up by LibDem Willie Rennie, who made the point that high praise should not be accompanied by low pay.
Mr Rennie said, “I echo that appreciation for the work that those early learning and childcare professionals do. However, if the cabinet secretary believes that, will she finally tackle the pay rate differences between the private, voluntary and independent sector and the council sector?
“Staff are paid massively different amounts for doing exactly the same job, so will the Government finally get a grip on that problem?”
Ms McAllan told him: “When it comes to pay, I am proud that Scotland is the only part of the United Kingdom that, through its funding for early learning and childcare, creates the circumstances in which the real living wage can be paid.
“However, I understand the call for parity. All those aspects will be taken into account as we take on what is a massive expansion project, and I will work with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the sector on that.”
Conservative Stephen Kerr asked: “Did I understand correctly that the cabinet secretary said that the lack of parity that Willie Rennie identified, which she has acknowledged, will be addressed as part of the revised approach to this policy?”
Màiri McAllan told him: “We are in the early days of a significant expansion project. I am open-minded about learning regarding the delivery of 1,140 hours as we work to expand the provision. Pay, rates and flexibility, among many other issues, will be taken into account.”
Willie Rennie replied: “The difficulty is that the cabinet secretary’s predecessors have been open-minded for years about the issue, and we have not made any progress. We need more than open-mindedness and open doors; we need a solution.”
Màiri McAllan rebuked him: “I do not think that it is realistic to say that progress has not been made. Scotland is the only place in the UK that funds the real living wage, because we have put fair work at the centre of our expansion to 1,140.
“I understand that there are several areas that we need to learn from about 1,140, and that I will discuss those with them. That is a broad commitment.
“I want to acknowledge parents and carers who are wrestling every day with the joys and challenges of raising children. They do that with varying support networks and in a cost-of-living crisis, but they always do it to the best of their ability.”
She added: “I am proud to take over this area, which has been prioritised by the Scottish Government: from the baby box, which provides the essentials for the first six months of life, to our transformational 1,140 childcare offer; and from our breakfast and after-school club investment to free school meal provision, investment in health visiting, family nurse partnerships, supporting women with breastfeeding and, of course, the groundbreaking Scottish child payment. I am very proud of the fact that we are putting in place the building blocks of success for children in Scotland.”
Her colleague Shirley-Anne Somerville published “Bringing Hope, Building Futures” before the dissolution of the Parliament.
It sets out the “concrete action” in pursuit of our goal of eradicating child poverty, which the government estimates will keep 100,000 children out of relative poverty this year — “Surely that is a goal that we can all get behind.
“In its aim of eradicating child poverty, the plan is absolutely clear that supporting parents and carers who are currently locked out of the labour market to work is an important part of our work.
“We know that those barriers exist particularly for women, who are more likely to take on caring responsibilities, reduce their working hours, or feel that they cannot work at all because it does not make financial sense.
“That is fine if that is what families choose to do, but it is not fine if it is not a choice. I have that at the forefront of my mind. We will take action to remove those barriers, not only because it is the right thing for families but because it is the right thing for our economy.”
Ms McAllan promised to look at the Government’s record in childcare and what was being delivered to date.
These included the universal early learning and childcare offer for every three and four-year-old, as well as around a quarter of two-year-olds.
Ms McAllan added: “We are delivering that through an investment of around £1 billion a year, which is worth about £6,400 per family per eligible child. I think that we would all agree that that is a sizeable contribution to family budgets.
“It has to be said that going from the around 600 hours that we inherited when we came into government to delivering the 1,140 hours that parents have been benefiting from since 2021 is a massive achievement. We are also clear that now is the time to move on to the next transformational change in provision.”
Màiri McAllan added, in reply to the Conservative Meghan Gallagher: “We have been working with our six priority families and testing the roll-out of childcare as it is needed in different circumstances, whether that is communities that are affected by poverty or children who have disabilities. We have been taking forward that work, and it will inform the expansion of childcare.
“We want, by the end of this parliamentary session, to provide the choice of childcare support for every child in the country from nine months old to the end of primary school. Importantly, the support is to be provided for 52 weeks a year and will be designed to fit around families, rather than families being expected to fit around the system.
“I must say that it is a substantial project that will take a team Scotland approach.”
She added, “We cannot fail to understand the importance of childcare to finding and sustaining work. We mustn’t have a system that denies children whose parents are not working the important early learning opportunities that are provided, particularly if those might be the children who could benefit most from them.
“As we develop the provision, we will draw on the successes of the 1,140 hours policy and be clear on the opportunities for improvement.”
by Lucy Ashton
Reform MSP Victor Currie asked if, by introducing an expansion in childcare services, the government would be digging a hole for itself.
He said: “The previous expansion to 1,140 hours, which the cabinet secretary has mentioned a few times, required an additional 4,000 full-time equivalent staff.
“If the proposals are not tied specifically to a skills training pathway for our domestic workforce, will the Government not simply be legislating a skills shortage into existence?”
Màiri McAllan replied: “The member is absolutely right to point out the importance of the workforce. The workforce, which consists mainly of women, is the single most important factor in whether good, high-quality early learning and childcare is provided.
“The roll-out of 1,140 hours necessarily resulted in the number of staff growing, and we are very open-minded and clear-eyed about the fact that that will have to happen once again as we expand the offer.
“We know that uptake has been good.
“A census that was published in 2025 shows that uptake is nearly universal for three and four-year-olds, with almost every child taking up their registered hours. We also know that the vast majority of parents and carers are satisfied with the quality of ELC.”
Stephen Kerr asked: “ What are the Government’s estimates on the number of additional staff who will be required?
“What is the Government’s estimate of the total cost of the expansion over the lifetime of the parliamentary session?”
Màiri McAllan said: “In our manifesto, we set out an estimate of about £500 million. However, the Government is in the early days of developing the policy, so the estimates on costs and workforce requirements will be developed in due course.
“The commitment is to have completed the policy by the end of the five-year period. It is a huge piece of work, and we will all have to work together on it. We are in the early stages just now.
“The Diffley report, which we commissioned and which was reported recently, set out an important perspective on what has worked and what needs to be improved.
“It is clear that funded childcare has had an important impact on maternal employment.
“Secondly, it was demonstrated that, once an eligible two-year-old has undertaken a year, little developmental difference can be observed between them and a three-year-old peer who is starting on the universal offer. I see that as a really important bit of success for the project. Of course, recruitment, skills development, rates, flexibility, additional support needs aspects, and practical issues of roll-out and costs must all be developed.
“I have focused my remarks on the 1,140 hours, but there is a huge amount of other work that the Government has completed or is looking to take forward, such as the expansion of breakfast clubs, our extra time programme and our work in priority communities. We are facing some of the most challenging fiscal conditions since devolution, and so are households in Scotland. Therefore, we have to make every penny that we spend work for the people of Scotland.
“The Government and I believe that there is a strong case for expanding childcare. It reduces inequalities, tackles poverty and provides new economic opportunities across the country. It is an ambitious but vital task. I know that there is consensus across the chamber, and I look forward to getting to work with colleagues and the minister to deliver that expansion for Scotland.”
She moved that the Parliament believes that every child deserves the best start in life and that a child’s earliest years are crucial in their development; recognises the importance of high quality, accessible and affordable childcare in tackling poverty, supporting employment opportunities for parents, supporting child development and driving inclusive economic growth; acknowledges the Scottish Government’s investment in early learning and childcare to date, and supports its aim to extend year-round childcare support to every child from nine months old to the end of primary school.