Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at on 26 October 2023.
The First Minister:
The programme for government was, of course, just last month. I am more than happy to provide an update to Meghan Gallacher as we make substantial progress.
I go back to the point that, in Scotland, we have the most generous childcare offer in the UK.
One of the important points that I mentioned in my programme for government is the sustainability of the private, voluntary and independent sector. Scotland is the only part of the UK to pay staff who are delivering funded ELC the real living wage. We are committed to providing the necessary funding to increase pay to £12 an hour for staff who deliver funded ELC provision in the private, voluntary and independent sector. We are investing in that most-generous childcare offer, and I am sure that other Governments in the UK might want to follow Scotland’s lead.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
