Clause 61 - Applications for registration on the general register: childminders
Childcare Bill
9:15 am
Maria Eagle (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Children and Families), Department for Education and Skills; Liverpool, Garston, Labour)
The hon. Gentleman is right that there was a consultation after which there was a change to what the Department and Ministers had originally planned, but that was in line with the representations in the consultation. It would not be fair to characterise that change as a way of making safeguarding less important or less central to the whole sector. There is no question of that. We must always have a balance between properly safeguarding children who are left in the care of others and ensuring that we do not impose such regulatory burdens that we drive potential providers out of the field. That is not always easy, and the Committee will understand that the way in which we go about it will differ according to whether those children are aged nought to five or over eight.
I hope that I can convince everybody who is concerned about the matter that safeguarding is a central part of the Department’s work; it is always kept in mind. Not only has the principle been applied to this Bill but it has been used to strengthen other legislation that is being rolled out now, and further legislation will come before this House in due course to provide additional safeguards through the barring and vetting scheme that we envisage. I hope that that reassures my hon. Friend and that the hon. Gentleman, having heard what I have said about the fees and the current level of subsidy, will be content to allow clause 61 to stand part of the Bill.