Programme for Government: Humza Yousaf to announce childcare expansion as he unveils policy agenda

The First Minister previously pledged to extend free childcare to one and two-year-olds

Humza Yousaf will announce an expansion of childcare provision today as he sets out his policy agenda for the year ahead.

The First Minister will publish details of a package expected to include the further rollout of free childcare and support for breakfast and after-school clubs.

“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 [private, voluntary and independent] sector in particular,” he told journalists in Dundee yesterday.

Humza Yousaf meets children, parents and staff at Rowantree Primary School Early Years Service in Dundee. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/PA Wire

During the SNP leadership election, Mr Yousaf pledged to extend free childcare to one and two-year-olds if he became first minister.

Currently, three and four-year-olds can access up to 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare a year, which is around 30 hours a week in term time. Some two-year-olds are also eligible for free childcare on a means-tested basis.

Mr Yousaf said his Programme for Government, which will be published today, will focus on reducing poverty and offering practical help and support. “Helping families deal with cost of living pressures is one of my key priorities, and providing further funding to expand childcare provision will help deliver that,” he said.

“Scotland already has the most generous and high-quality early learning and childcare offer in the UK and the measures I am setting out today will help make it even fairer and more affordable for those who need it most.”

The pledge came as data from campaign group and charity, Pregnant Then Screwed, showed just one-third of parents in Scotland had all of the childcare they want and need. The charity surveyed 1,156 parents with a child under five years of age online from August 18 to September 3. Of those who said they did not have all of the childcare they wanted, 43 per cent cited lack of availability in their area, and a further 41 per cent said it was due to high costs.

Elsewhere, the First Minister committed to taking action to protect people living in the private rented sector. Speaking to LBC, Mr Yousaf was asked about loopholes in the Government’s rent freeze that allow prices to rise between tenancies at a much higher rate than the maximum of 6 per cent allowed by the legislation.

“Yes, there will be some detail around what we can do to protect those in the private rented sector,” he said. “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.”

Mr Yousaf’s first Programme for Government – a major date in the diary for any first minister – comes against the background of struggling public finances, with a £1 billion black hole expected in next year’s budget.

Asked if the financial position could impact on his ability to make his mark, the First Minister said: “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."

John Dickie, director of the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland, called for the Scottish Child Payment to be increased to £30 per week “at the very least” from April. He also called for more investment in childcare and additional money for families affected by the UK Government’s two-child benefit cap, as well as urging Mr Yousaf to “be bold in using tax powers in a progressive way”.

Mr Dickie said: “The First Minister has been right to say that tackling child poverty must be a top priority and his leadership campaign pledge to increase the Scottish Child Payment to £30 in his first budget was especially welcome. His first Programme for Government is his opportunity to show he will deliver on that promise. With low-income families still reeling under the pressures of the cost-of-living crisis, there is not a moment to lose to turn his welcome words into concrete policies.”

Elsewhere, Alex Cole-Hamilton, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, called on the Government to establish a national fund to help local authorities and health boards remove potentially dangerous concrete. It comes amid rising concern over the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) in schools and other buildings.

He said proposed council tax increases should also be scrapped and plans for a National Care Service abandoned, while more money should be invested in extra classroom support to end the “blight” of violence in schools.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said: “Humza Yousaf needs to focus on the real priorities of the people of Scotland. With concrete beams in both England and Scotland threatening to collapse, it is vital that the SNP and Greens pull their heads out of the sand and commit to a national fund that will help authorities remove dangerous concrete from their buildings. With the Chancellor stating that the UK Government will meet that cost, the Scottish Government must do likewise.”

The Greens, who have a power-sharing agreement with the SNP, said the Programme for Government would focus on the climate emergency and the cost-of-living crisis. Co-leader Lorna Slater said: “This will be a positive and progressive programme for action that has Green values at its heart. It demonstrates the strength and the value of the co-operation agreement between the Scottish Greens and the Scottish Government in the face of brutal Tory cuts and Labour’s shameful retreat on climate action.

“We are already showing the positive impact that Scottish Green voices are having, with a Scottish Child Payment of £25 a week, free bus travel for young people and a rent cap and protections for vulnerable tenants. These are big changes that go beyond anything else being done in the UK. They are having a big impact and are lifting people out of poverty.”