Local MSP Maree Todd, SNP, has welcomed the announcement by the First Minister of Scotland at her party Conference of the expansion of child care.

Party delegates heard that the SNP will scrap all non-residential social care charges and expand childcare into the school holidays for primary pupils from the poorest backgrounds if re-elected at the 2021 election.

Maree Todd, who is the Minister for Children and Young People in the Scottish Government, said:

“By August next year the SNP in government will have all but doubled the hours children receive. It will give them 30 hours a week of high quality, free care and education – saving families in the Highlands & Islands £4,500 per year for each child.

“But we will not stop there. If the SNP is elected after the next Holyrood election, we will expand childcare into the school holidays for primary pupils from the poorest backgrounds – to help ensure that parents can continue working over holiday periods.

“Earlier this year, the SNP Government extended free personal care to everyone who needs it, regardless of age – and over the next parliament, the SNP will scrap non-residential social care charges for all.

“We’re determined to help families with the cost of living throughout their lifetimes – ensuring that fairness and equality are embedded in our society from birth to retirement.

“That progressive, ambitious vision for government is exactly why people in Scotland continue to put their faith in the SNP.”