Seòmar agus comataidhean

Sorry, but are you again referencing the costs for salaried chairs and paid volunteers?

I have already alluded to the work that is under way. I have given you two points on the range of interventions that we have asked Children’s Hearings Scotland to develop in order to improve matters. As I have said, I will work closely with Children’s Hearings Scotland and I will monitor what those actions will be. Children’s Hearings Scotland is working with its partners to minimise the number of abortive or deferred rota hearings. I am giving you answers on the action that will be taken by Children’s Hearings Scotland and the action that is being taken by the Government on other matters, and I can only report back on those over time.

First, I am so sorry to hear that account.

As I have said, I have met a number of committee members individually, and I appreciate the strength of feeling and the fact that we need to get it right. I have been clear that we need to strike a fine balance in how we do it. However, I have carefully considered all the information that I received at stage 1 and in my individual meetings with many committee members, and I continue to work with a range of victim support organisations to explore the balance that is currently being struck. For example, I want to ensure that information can be shared with victims when that is needed for their safety, but it is important to make sure that we take the best approach to that.

Those would be additional financial figures that would come through in due course. As they are not directly associated with the bill at this stage, they are not included in our projections.

Yes. I appreciate that. As I have said, that issue was raised with me when I met many of you individually. There are real concerns about it, and I am switched on to that. I hope that what I have said today makes it clear that aspects of the issue are still under consideration to ensure that we get the balance right both for a child who might have offended and, equally, for a victim. I am committed to ensuring that we get that balance right.

Do you mean in terms of people breaking the conditions that are set for them?

Absolutely. Given what I have already laid out, I hope that I have reassured the committee that I think that that is an extremely important aspect of the bill. I appreciate the feeling from a range—if not all—of the committee members on the subject.

I am absolutely committed to our taking a person-centred, trauma-informed approach to the matter, and I share the committee’s and witnesses’ desire to ensure that a consistent, quality approach is taken to providing the right information and support from the early stages and throughout the process. As I have said, matters are being considered in terms of both statute and legislative measures going forward for stage 2.

I should have mentioned the fact that there is already an offer to victims regarding information but that it has quite a low take-up rate. I believe that the committee has heard about that in evidence. I have asked about that, and I believe that the SCRA is now looking into the reasons for the low uptake rate. That work is going on at the moment, but I reassure the committee that we are looking to strike the right balance and to get this right for all the children involved. I hope that that reassures you.

I find it difficult. I have tried to reassure the committee that the matter would be looked at in the best interests of all the children and young people involved. Equally, for those very serious offences, it would be a matter for the Lord Advocate to consider where that should be dealt with and the outcome of that. I hear the concerns that are being raised and I will certainly take them forward in further consideration of the bill.

High-quality early learning and childcare has a positive impact on all children’s outcomes, and evidence shows that it has a greater positive impact on children living in poverty. It can also support parents to work, train or study—as the committee has heard during evidence—and it can have a direct impact on the drivers of child poverty through supporting household incomes.

In relation to our current and previous offer, modelling published by the Institute for Public Policy Research Scotland estimated that, at 600 hours, funded ELC lifted more than 10,000 adults and children out of poverty. It also notes that the expansion to 1,140 hours will have an even bigger impact. As Mr O’Kane referred to, our programme for government sets out how we will go even further.

If families paid for the existing 1,140 offer themselves, it would cost them around £5,000 per child per year, which is a huge amount of money. Independent research shows that 97 per cent of parents are satisfied with the quality of funded ELC. A range of on-going work is focused on delivering a robust and accurate evidence base and evaluation of the impact of 1,140 hours, including an economic evaluation of the expansion.

The baseline phases of the Scottish study of ELC were published in 2019-20. The fourth phase is on track to begin data collection in October. That will give us a clearer idea of the impact that our current offer is having, which will be further looked at as the programme is expanded.

I will refer to my official for that kind of in-depth answer.