Image source, Getty Images

Council nurseries do not open long enough to support full time working parents, a campaign group has claimed.

Fair Funding For Our Kids said only one in ten council-run centres provides the length of care to cover a full working day.

The childcare group requested details on nursery opening hours from all of Scotland's 32 local authorities.

Of 1,369 such centres, only 139 are open from 08:00 to 18:00 or longer, the Freedom of Information figures showed.

In East Renfrewshire all 17 of the council-run nurseries were open, with 67% in East Dunbartonshire also operating these hours.

But 19 councils, including City of Edinburgh Council, have no nurseries which are open for business between 08:00 to 18:00.

Read more here.

Mr Gray says most three and four year olds access funded childcare, but Audit Scotland have criticised the analysis.

He says only half of two year olds are registered.

The Labour MSP says some parents are unable to access their entitlement due to inflexibility.

Image source, bbc

He says Audit Scotland have highlighted a £160m blackhole and a lack of planning.

However the biggest challenges lie with the workforce with a need for a 128% increase in staffing required.

"This Scottish government is to workforce planning what Eddie the Eagle is to ski jumping."

Image source, Scottish government

A campaign was launched in October with the aim of recruiting 11,000 people into childcare in Scotland.

The recruitment drive aims to encourage more school leavers into the profession to support government plans to expand early learning and childcare.

Ministers aim to expand funded childcare to 1,140 hours per year, or 30 hours per week, by 2020.

Launching the drive, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said a career in the profession was "hugely rewarding".

Read more.

Image source, bbc

Labour MSP Iain Gray says there is an irony on holding this debate on a day when the snow has had a huge impact on childcare arrangements.

Mr Gray concedes he cannot blame the Scottish government for snow falling.

Image source, bbc

Tory MSP Liz Smith says the Scottish government does not have any analysis about the benefit up to the 600 hours provision.

Ms Todd says there is evidence and she asks if the government should wait before trying to close the attainment gap through increased childcare provision.

The minister says the government is expanding from 600 to 1,140 hours of childcare provision.

She says there are challenges involved in identifying and targetting two year olds.

Image source, bbc

Childcare and Early Years Minister Maree Todd accepts there are challenges to the government's

"We are on track to deliver this expansion."

Ms Ballantyne asks for evidence of this.

Ms Todd says it is right and proper both councils and the government look at the gap in the workforce estimates.

She says the gap is closing and she expects agreement in the next few weeks.

Image source, Getty Images

Audit Scotland's report drew attention to a gap between council and government estimates of the cost of the policy.

Councils expect spending on the policy to hit £1bn by 2021-22. The indicative government figure is £840m.

Local authorities have estimated they will need 12,000 whole-time equivalent (WTE) staff, while the government believes between 6,000 and 8,000 WTE staff will be needed by 2020.

The report also examined the 2014 expansion of funded places to 600 hours.

It found the government has invested almost £650m but did not plan how to evaluate the outcomes, meaning "it is not yet clear whether the investment is delivering value for money".

Read more here.

Image source, bbc

Ms Ballantyne says her party would have adopted a staged approach, beginning with one and two year olds.

The Tory MSP says the Scottish government estimate of staff required falls short of the 12,000 more staff estimated by councils.

"This is a daunting figure and a signifcant difference in numbers."

Image source, Getty Images

Men, ethnic minority candidates and older staff could be the answer to fulfilling a pledge to double free childcare hours.

An estimated 11,000 workers are needed to meet the Scottish government's flagship policy.

Funded nursery places for eligible two-year-olds as well as all three and four-year-olds will rise from 600 hours a year to 1,140 hours a year by 2020.

The government said a broader approach to recruitment was a priority.

A new skills investment plan said the recruitment of workers "remains a challenge" for the industry and the demand for additional workers for early learning and childcare (ELC) "will only be met by widening the scope of recruitment and utilising non-traditional pathways".

The plan was drawn up by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and others, including the Scottish government, the Care Inspectorate, the Care and Learning Alliance and Early Years Scotland.

Read more here.

Image source, bbc

Tory MSP Michelle Ballantyne highlights the challenges faced by the government in delivering its early years commitments.

Ms Ballantyne asks how the government is measuring the delivery of its 600 hours committment.

"If it is not right we are going to get it wrong for a generation of children.

The policy in its current state fails to achieve the outcomes for either parents or children.

Image source, Thinkstock

The public spending watchdog has questioned plans to fund increased nursery provision in Scotland.

Audit Scotland said in a report there was a "significant risk" councils would not be able to resource a planned expansion.

The Scottish government has promised to almost double the annual hours in paid-for nursery places to 1,140.

In response to the report, the government repeated its pledge to fully fund the policy.

The watchdog's report, which was prepared for the Accounts Commission and the Auditor General, said: "There are significant risks that councils will not be able to expand funded early learning and childcare (ELC) to 1,140 hours by 2020.

"In particular it will be difficult to increase the infrastructure and workforce to the levels required, in the limited time available.

"The Scottish government should have started detailed planning with councils earlier, given the scale of the changes required."

Read more here.

Image source, bbc

Labour MSP Neil Findlay raises a point of order by saying the Lord Advocate did not address his question about the legality of this bill being created through emergency legislation.

The presiding officer says it is up to the parliament to decide if this is emergency legislation.

Image source, SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT/TWITTER

Labour MSP James Kelly asks if the Lord Advocate took any external legal advice.

Lord Advocate James Wolffe says the Scottish government does not expose the source of its legal advice.

Mr Wolffe again says he cleared the certificate of competence of the continuity bill.