New Clause 11 - Requirement for providers of children to provide information
Childcare Bill
10:15 am
Annette Brooke (Shadow Minister, Education & Skills; Mid Dorset and North Poole, Liberal Democrat)
I have spoken a great deal about the training and professional development of child care workers. I am beginning to feel that Members of Parliament might need some training in the writing of new clauses and amendments. I wrote the new clause in—I hope—fairly clear English, and I did not anticipate that the wording would be perfect but I wanted to ensure that the matter was thoroughly discussed. I thank the Minister for her comments; both Ministers have been very understanding about the point that I have been trying to make about all the child care settings that are not registered and the fact that parents do not know that they are not registered. I am still deeply concerned about that, but I have received some reassurance. I got the greatest reassurance from when we were talking about the advice and information that local authorities will be required to give to parents; that will probably be the crucial area. I hope that this issue will be picked up in relevant regulations, so that that information is available for parents.
I anticipated that I would withdraw the motion because I tabled it simply to make this specific point, but I would like the Minister still to consider how parents will know about all the exemptions, and whether they will assume that there is more safeguarding of those settings in the Bill than there is. I am still concerned about the problem, but I have raised the issue in every relevant part of the Bill that I could find. I think that raising it in relation to the information that local authorities will give has been the most profitable such area. I beg to ask leave to withdraw the motion.