Government to propose more free childcare

Legislation that includes an increase in free early learning and childcare has been announced by the Scottish Government.

The new Children and Young People Bill will be introduced in Holyrood next year.

The government said the Bill, which brings together earlier plans to legislate separately on children’s rights and services, will provide “the best package of early learning and childcare in the UK”.

It includes a rise in free early learning and childcare from 475 hours to a minimum of 600 hours per year, an increase of 45 per cent in provision since 2007.

The legislation follows a pledge by the SNP at its spring conference to deliver a statutory guarantee of more than 600 hours of free nursery education for every Scottish three- and four-year-old, and for every looked-after two-year-old.

Children’s minister Aileen Campbell said: “This Bill will boost our ongoing efforts to strengthen the rights of the child.”

Sally Ann Kelly, acting director of Barnardo’s Scotland, said: “The new comprehensive Bill will make sure that changes to services for children and young people will be centred on the rights and the needs of children and young people.”

Labour said the government’s policy on childcare and nursery provision was first pledged in 2007 and accused the SNP of making “glacial progress”.