Parliament Workbench
Data: Motions & questions to 19 Nov 2026 · Votes to 12 Nov 2026

Motion For Debate · S4M-02338 · Session 4

Childcare

Carried Lodged by Liam McArthur LD Lodged 13 Mar 2012 Debate 15 Mar 2012 1 supporter

The motion

That the Parliament recognises that access to affordable, high-quality childcare supports children’s learning and development and enables parents to return to, or remain in, work; notes with concern the recent report, The Scottish Childcare Lottery, which found that there are very significant gaps in the availability of childcare in Scotland, childcare costs are among the highest in Britain and that there is greater geographic variation in childcare costs in Scotland than in any other part of the UK; believes that, while some local authorities have worked hard to ensure sufficient childcare in their areas, much more work is needed from the Scottish Government and local authorities to ensure that families have access to affordable, integrated pre-school and childcare services in every community matched to an assessment of local demand, as is required by the Early Years Framework; is also concerned that Scotland is lagging behind England on entitlement to free pre-school education, and calls on the Scottish Government to respond to the concerns about availability and costs raised in The Scottish Childcare Lottery report, to ensure that the objectives of the Early Years Framework are met and to set out the steps that it will take to increase childcare support in Scotland in order to match the best elsewhere in Europe.

What MSPs voted on: the motion as amended

The Liberal Democrats’ motion was rewritten by an SNP amendment (S4M-02338.2) before this vote. A vote ‘for’ was a vote for the SNP’s wording.

That the Parliament recognises that access to affordable, high-quality childcare supports children’s learning and development and enables parents to return to, or remain in, work; notes
185 words removed by S4M-02338.2with concern the recent report, The Scottish Childcare Lottery, which found that there are very significant gaps in the availability of childcare in Scotland, childcare costs are among the highest in Britain and that there is greater geographic variation in childcare costs in Scotland than in any other part of the UK; believes that, while some local authorities have worked hard to ensure sufficient childcare in their areas, much more work is needed from the Scottish Government and local authorities to ensure that families have access to affordable, integrated pre-school and childcare services in every community matched to an assessment of local demand, as is required by the Early Years Framework; is also concerned that Scotland is lagging behind England on entitlement to free pre-school education, and calls on the Scottish Government to respond to the concerns about availability and costs raised in The Scottish Childcare Lottery report, to ensure that the objectives of the Early Years Framework are met and to set out the steps that it will take to increase childcare support in Scotland in order to match the best elsewhere in Europe.
S4M-02338.2 SNP the issues raised in the recent report, The Scottish Childcare Lottery, regarding cost, sufficiency and variation of early learning and childcare in Scotland; welcomes steps by the Scottish Government to address these issues, including the commitment to legislate to increase the amount of free nursery provision from 475 hours to a minimum of 600 hours for all 3 and 4-year-olds and all looked-after 2-year-olds; further welcomes the Scottish Government’s commitment to work with the Early Years Task Force, local authorities, parents' representatives and childcare providers to consider how best to deliver increased and flexible provision, identify more clearly provision across Scotland and to learn from the best provision elsewhere in Europe, and condemns the UK Government's proposed welfare reforms that will have a detrimental effect on thousands of families across Scotland and have a negative impact on their access to childcare.

Final wording as read into the Official Report at Decision Time. The marked changes are worked out by this site from the amendment texts and match that wording.

Amendments

  1. S4M-02338.2 SNP Aileen Campbell Agreed vote, 65–18
  2. S4M-02338.1 Labour Neil Bibby Defeated vote, 31–80

Signatures by party

1 MSP besides the lodger · 0 from other parties
LD 1

Party on the day each MSP signed. Signing a motion is voluntary and not whipped. Who signs whose motions

Vote

1 division
  1. 15 Mar 2012
    Childcare
    S4M-02338as amended by SNP
    Carried
    94 for, 17 against

Amendments

2
  1. S4M-02338.1
    Childcare
    Neil Bibby Lab Lodged 14 Mar 2012
    Defeated
    31 for, 80 against
  2. S4M-02338.2
    Childcare
    Aileen Campbell SNP Lodged 14 Mar 2012
    Carried
    65 for, 18 against

Supporters

1 MSP

LD 1

Show all 1 supporter by party

LD 1

Party shown is each supporter’s party when the motion was published.

In the Official Report

4 contributions mention S4M-02338
  1. 15 Mar 2012
    Childcare
    Tricia Marwick Meeting of the Parliament

    Good morning. The first item of business is a debate on motion S4M-02338, in the name of Liam McArthur, on childcare.09:15

  2. 15 Mar 2012
    Decision Time
    Tricia Marwick Meeting of the Parliament

    There are seven questions to be put as a result of today’s business. The first question is, that amendment S4M-02338.2, in the name of Aileen Campbell, which seeks to amend motion S4M-02338, in the name of Liam McArthur, on childcare, be a…

  3. 15 Mar 2012
    Decision Time
    Tricia Marwick Meeting of the Parliament

    The next question is, that amendment S4M-02338.1, in the name of Neil Bibby, which seeks to amend motion S4M-02338, in the name of Liam McArthur, on childcare, be agreed to. Are we agreed?Members: No.

  4. 15 Mar 2012
    Decision Time
    Tricia Marwick Meeting of the Parliament

    The next question is, that motion S4M-02338, in the name of Liam McArthur, on childcare, as amended, be agreed to. Are we agreed?Members: No.