Clause 22 - Duty to secure sufficient childcare for working parents
Childcare Bill
6:15 pm
Roger Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire, Liberal Democrat)
I am greatly concerned about the Bill’s provisions in relation to the National Assembly for Wales. I am reminded of the story about someone going to a reference library to look up Wales and finding the entry, “For Wales, see England.” The Bill seems to read across from England to Wales. It gives no relevance to the fact that there has been a devolved settlement and that the Government of Wales Act 1998 is in full force.
I tabled—too late—an amendment to improve the clause by providing that the Welsh Assembly Government may, by regulation, require Welsh local authorities to secure the relevant sufficiency of provision, so far as is reasonable. Why should the Westminster Government dictate to the Assembly Government how they look after child care? Wales has moved far beyond England in child care provision. Every child over the age of three in Wales now gets 10 hours of free child care every week, provided that it is in an early years environment. There are forces families in my constituency, and those people are stationed at different times in England and Wales. When they come to Wales they see that the provision is much superior, and are pleased to take up the facilities.
The Bill is hugely prescriptive about what the National Assembly should do. The approach could be minimalist, but it seems almost impressionist, with huge swirls of colour across the Bill. It would be better if the provisions were simple and allowed the National Assembly for Wales to have powers in a simple form that enabled it to do what it wanted.