SNP shadow minister for children and education Mike Russell said he was 'sympathetic' to the idea of subsidising childcare, though it was not officially SNP policy. 'The best way to make childcare more affordable would be through tax breaks, but we have no substantial tax powers in the Scottish Parliament,' he said. 'The answer could be direct subsidy, either to parents or to childcare providers. There is a balance to strike between making sure services are high quality and affordable.' A recent study by the childcare campaigning group the Daycare Trust found that British parents face the highest childcare costs in Europe, with the average annual cost of placing a two-year-old in a nursery at nearly 6,000. This means many parents are spending more on childcare than on food. The Daycare Trust report, The price parents pay - sharing the costs of childcare, was based on figures for England, but the Trust believes the picture in Scotland is similar.
Leanne Mabberley, the information officer for childcare charity Children in Scotland, said that while the National Childcare Strategy had resulted in more places and better access to information, the Daycare Trust report showed that British parents who worked and were reliant on paid childcare were still under 'huge financial pressures'.
She said, 'Childcare must be made more accessible for parents, but this should not be at the cost of quality. Instead, there should be better incentives for employers to subsidise childcare, offer better leave and more flexible working arrangements.'
