Yousaf to announce ‘package’ of childcare measures
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cotland’s First Minister will use his first Programme for Government to announce a “package” of childcare measures.
The announcement will come as Humza Yousaf units out his Government’s legislative agenda for the following parliamentary 12 months on Tuesday.
Speaking to journalists on a go to to a faculty and nursery in Dundee forward of the speech in Holyrood, Mr Yousaf mentioned the announcement would assist sort out poverty and increase the economic system by bringing folks again into the workforce.
The announcement, he mentioned, would come with assist for breakfast and after college golf equipment, potential additional enlargement of free childcare and assist for employees, together with these within the personal, voluntary and impartial (PVI) sector, which has raised considerations of the affect on staffing for the reason that Scottish Government launched its 1,140 hour per 12 months free childcare undertaking.
“We’re looking at areas around what we can do in relation to the pathfinder projects that we have that help provide that all year round, school age child care from breakfast clubs to after school clubs,” he mentioned.
“We’ll be looking at what we can do in relation to further expansion to two-year-olds and what more can be done in supporting staff in the PVI sector in particular.”
He added: “There’ll be a whole package announced, and of course it will be fully funded by the Government.”
But the First Minister – who has beforehand been chastised by Holyrood’s Presiding Officer after particulars of Government bulletins have been launched to the press earlier than being made in parliament – was reticent over particulars about different components of the Programme for Government.
However, he did decide to take motion to guard folks dwelling within the personal rented sector.
Speaking to LBC, Mr Yousaf was requested about loopholes within the Government’s lease freeze which permits costs to rise between tenancies at a a lot greater charge than the utmost of 6% presently allowed by the laws.
“Yes, there will be some detail around what we can do to protect those in the private rented sector,” he mentioned.
“We know it’s a significant challenge right across the country, but we know there’s particular areas that face that challenge, perhaps, more than others, so there’ll be some information in the Programme for Government about our plans for over the next 12 months.”
But requested if there have been plans to extend the Scottish Child Payment from £25 per week to £30 per week – one thing Mr Yousaf mentioned he would contemplate throughout the SNP management race earlier this 12 months – in addition to on plans for taxation and the connection with enterprise, the First Minister appeared eager to present nothing away.
Reports over the weekend counsel a pilot within the public sector might be amongst his plans, with the First Minister telling the PA news company there was “a really strong evidence base” for the transfer and he wish to collect extra proof, including “the public sector would naturally be one of the areas to look at”.
Mr Yousaf’s first Programme for Government – a significant date within the diary for any first minister – comes in opposition to the background of struggling public funds, with a £1 billion black gap anticipated in subsequent 12 months’s price range.
Asked if the monetary place might affect on his capacity to make his mark on Government on Tuesday, the First Minister mentioned: “There’ll definitely be some initiatives that I hope will demonstrate the direction I want to take the Government, but there’s no getting away from the scale of the public finances and the challenge that we face in relation to those public finances.
“It’s the most difficult time, certainly I’ve ever seen for the public finances, and I’ve been in Government for 11 years.
“We know because of the disaster if the mini budget last year from the UK Government that public finances are not just going to be constrained for the year ahead, but I’m afraid for probably many years to come.”