Clause 79 - Information to be included in annual reports
Childcare Bill
9:45 am
Annette Brooke (Shadow Minister, Education & Skills; Mid Dorset and North Poole, Liberal Democrat)
Although the wording of amendment No. 287 may not be perfect—I will protect my back before I start—I notice that the title of clause 79 is “Information to be included in annual reports”, so there can be no obvious rebuttal that we would be adding something that might not be appropriate to the Bill. The amendment is consistent with the line that I have taken throughout the Bill that we need to ensure quality at every stage. We have agreed that continuous professional development of the child care work force is crucial to obtaining the Bill’s objectives. Therefore, there should be a requirement in the clause, perhaps not as I have expressed it, that a section of the annual report should deal with the qualifications of staff. I am sure that the inspectors would be in a position to draw some conclusions from the reports that they make throughout the year. As the Minister has not yet accepted any amendments, I hope that this could be the one.