The questions came after a report published last month by childcare charity Coram, which found that a part-time nursery place for a child under the age of three now costs £122.38 per week in Scotland on average. This was an increase of 7% compared to the previous year.
It also follows the closure of the Bee Curious and Little Farm nurseries in the East Neuk, which was in part due to the lower rate of funding they receive from the Scottish Government, compared to council-run nurseries.
In response to Mr Rennie’s question Natalie Don-Innes said that she was ‘not blind to the issues faced by our providers’.
Speaking in the Holyrood chamber, Willie Rennie said: “The reason why under-3 rates are so high and increasing is because the government is under-funding private nurseries, voluntary nurseries and independent nurseries for the provision of the 1140 hours. Why can’t the Minister understand that it’s her policy that’s costing parents so much?”
After the exchange he added: “SNP ministers have been promising for years to close the gap in funding between private and council-run nurseries for the 1140 hours provision. This under-funding of private nurseries is pushing up rates for younger children, adding pressure to already stretched household budgets. And as we’ve seen in the East Neuk it is causing some nurseries to close altogether, denying parents the choice and flexibility they were promised when the 1140 hours provision was introduced.”