Bookbug

That the Parliament expresses regret that the Bookstart, Booktime and Booked Up programmes for children in England had to experience what it considers the trauma of being told that their funding would be cut by 100%, to then have the UK Government backtrack on its announcement; commends all those who campaigned in support of what it sees as these important programmes, without whom it believes the UK Government would have been content to deny children in England the invaluable service of Bookstart; believes that the Scottish Book Trust’s early years programme, Bookbug, delivers an important and excellent start for all babies, toddlers and children throughout Scotland in encouraging them to enjoy books and to be read to by their parents and carers, and urges the Scottish Government to continue its funding for Bookbug in Scotland and avoid what it sees as the unnecessary missteps and u-turns experienced by its counterparts in England that were introduced by the UK Government.