Clause 6 - Duty to secure sufficient childcare for working parents
Childcare Bill
1:30 pm
Tim Loughton (Shadow Minister (Children), Health; East Worthing and Shoreham, Conservative)
The Government Whip told me that I was about to sit down when the Committee adjourned this morning, but on checking my notes I seem not to have made it quite halfway through. We had reached amendment No. 99, which would require local authorities to
“have regard to existing childcare operated by private and voluntary independent providers.”
I mentioned that my hon. Friend the Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton (Mr. Gibb) would elaborate on that, so I do not have to deal with all 30 amendments in one go.
Amendment No. 100 is on a slightly different subject. We want to add a new provision to the clause so that the Bill establishes
“an appeals process for providers who wish to challenge the basis on which the provision of childcare is deemed to be sufficient in this section.”
We have had and will have some debate on the definition of sufficiency and the role of the local authority in determining whether it has overseen the sufficient provision of child care in its area.