Clause 8 - Powers of local authority in relation to the provision of childcare
Childcare Bill
11:15 am
Nick Gibb (Shadow Minister, Education; Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, Conservative)
I will do so if the hon. Gentleman wishes, but I do not think that the survey will have abided by those recommendations. I proposed that earlier, because it would be a good innovation for local authorities, the state sector and all those engaged in debates on public policy to abide by the new and innovative rules when they participate in opinion surveys and polling. I suspect that existing opinion research outside the polling companies probably does not abide by the recommendations. However, I shall ask the question, and I am sure that the answer will be no.
The Minister for Children and Families said at a conference in June this year:
“In order to achieve our vision of good quality affordable childcare and integrated children’s services, as set out in the 10-year Childcare Strategy, a close partnership between private, voluntary and maintained nurseries, local authorities and parents is essential.”
I am sure that she and her colleague will stand by those words. The amendments would ensure that that partnership happens, is effective and is set out in either the guidance or the Bill.
As my hon. Friend the Member for Putney expanded ably on the amendments, I shall deal briefly with amendments Nos. 101 and 268, which are similar to amendment No. 198, but which, instead of instituting a complaints procedure, establish an appeals process that would apply when a local authority has not entered into a partnership with the existing child care providers when seeking to fulfil the new duties. Again, this is a recommendation of the National Day Nurseries Association. It says that penalties could be applied to a local authority if it failed to conduct itself in the way in which the Minister for Children and Families said it should. Those penalties could affect, for example, the local authority’s comprehensive performance assessment rating.
Amendment No. 238 would establish a national commissioning framework to lay down best practice for partnership arrangements between local authorities and the private and voluntary independent sector. Again, that is the recommendation of the NDNA, which explains that models for such commissioning frameworks exist in other sectors, such as long-term care for the elderly and primary care.
On that note, I will leave my comments on the amendments, save for pointing out, as the hon. Member for Mid-Dorset and North Poole said, that there is friction between the PVI sector and local authorities. We seek to do all that we can to alleviate that friction and make the working relationship better regulated and therefore more effective.