Beverley Hughes (Minister of State (Children, Young People and Families), Department for Education and Skills; Stretford & Urmston, Labour)

I beg to move amendment No. 149, in page 42, line 35, at end insert—

‘()Subsection (2) does not prevent the imposition under section 38, 57 or 65 of a condition requiring a person registered under Chapter 2, 3 or 4 to secure that the occupier of any premises on which the registered person provides early years provision or later years provision gives any consent required by that subsection.’.

The amendment allows a condition to be placed on a person’s registration so that the occupier of the premises in which they work must give consent to entry. That applies where children are looked after in their own home or that of a friend or relative. Clause 77 requires that the chief inspector gain consent from the occupier before gaining entry to the premises. The amendment is needed so that the chief inspector may impose a condition on the registration that the registered person may not carry out child care in respect of those premises when they are registered as a child minder, or cancel the registration when they are registered in respect of the premises.

Our intention is simply to ensure that Ofsted can enter the premises to inspect the child care when necessary. The amendment will enable Ofsted to place a condition at registration to require that the applicant should inform the person who owns or occupies the premises that Ofsted may need to enter the premises and should secure the occupier’s consent to such entry prior to registration. That consent will have to be obtained in writing and shown to Ofsted as part of the registration process.