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The Scottish government came under fire yesterday over “misleading” proposals to expand childcare if Scotland becomes independent.
The SNP white paper policy said it would provide 1,140 hours of free childcare a year to all pre-school children, which it was claimed would increase economic output by £2.2 billion and bring in £700 million extra in tax revenue.
But a report by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Spice) revealed that there were in fact 40,000 fewer women with children who could return to work than the white paper assumes in order to achieve the dramatic increase in revenue needed to make the childcare policy work.
The Spice analysis of the white paper said: “No evidence is presented suggesting that the white paper’s childcare commitment would result in Scotland’s female participation rate matching that of Sweden’s with 104,000 (economically) inactive women entering the workforce.
“At present, there are only 64,000 mothers of one to five-year-olds who are economically inactive.”
Spice found that the policy would cost an independent Scottish government an additional £1.2bn — but this was not included in the white paper.
Scottish Labour MSP Neil Bibby accused the SNP of misleading parents.
“This analysis by the Scottish Parliament’s independent experts blows apart Alex Salmond’s flagship childcare proposal.
“No full costings, no economic analysis, no financial modelling and the fact that they’re at least 40,000 mothers short shows just how amateur and ridiculous the Scottish government’s policy-making has become.”
A spokesman for First Minister Alex Salmond said the figures in the white paper were “illustrative” and argued that “the Spice paper gives too much weight” to the 64,000 figure.
“The key point about the policy is that it doesn’t happen on one day or one year and then cease.
“The estimate of 104,000 women is not for a single moment in time. Women continue to have babies and drop out of the labour market. The problem is too many then don’t come back in. The 104,000 is established over a longer period of time.”
