Fathers have been entitled to paternity pay since April 2003

Childcare provision is set to become a key battleground during the next general election.

BBC News looks at what help is available at present for parents and what political parties, charities and think tanks propose should happen next.

Recent years have seen major changes to childcare provision in the UK.

Rules introduced in April 2003 entitle working mothers to six months' paid leave, followed by six months of unpaid time off.

New mothers are currently entitled to �102.80 a week maternity pay for a limit of six months.

Fathers can also claim Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP).

Under SPP rules, fathers get �102.80 a week or 90% of their average weekly earnings if this is less, for two weeks.

In addition, parents of children under six years of age, and parents of disabled children under 18, have the legal right to request more flexible working arrangements.

Parents on low incomes are entitled to help with child care costs through tax credits.

From April 2005, all employer-supported childcare, not just childcare in work-based nurseries will qualify for National Insurance (NI) and income tax relief, but this will be capped at �50 a week - well below the typical cost of �128 for a nursery place.

The Labour party has committed itself to "universal, affordable and flexible" childcare for parents of all 3 to 14 year-olds.

The aim of its Sure Start programme is to offer free part-time education to all three and four-year-olds across the UK.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Tony Blair set out the party's proposals for extended schools.

Under the proposals, childcare, centred on schools, will be available from 8am to 6pm.

In September, Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt said she would like to see longer paid maternity leave, higher paternity pay and the extension of flexible working rights to carers, if Labour won a third term.

The Conservatives have come out with a range of proposals to ease the burden of childcare on families.

However, parents will have to wait until the party's election manifesto to see which proposals are to be adopted.

The key proposals include:

• Increasing maternity pay, however Conservative leader Michael Howard has refused to be drawn on the size of any proposed increase
• Paying the child tax credit in cash to parents to spend as they like, on a nanny, au pair or even a family member, such as a grandparent, acting as a carer
• A consultation on making childcare costs tax deductible

Establish Early Years Centres (EYC), pre-school education, play areas and health check-ups.

In addition, the EYCs will provide parenting classes and provide education about the demands of parenthood to secondary school pupils.

The centres would be funded by scrapping Labour's plans to introduce Child Trust Funds.

Liberal Democrat Work and Pensions spokesman Steve Webb has said he would like to simplify the tax credit system to enable parents to claim.

The Daycare Trust charity and the Social Market Foundation think-tank recently called for a radical overhaul of UK childcare.

The key proposals included:

• Free nursery places for all two year olds
• The one-year parental leave would involve six weeks at 90% of normal earnings and the rest at the national minimum wage
• Moving towards "wraparound" childcare from 8am to 6pm which would involve extending the hours a school is open
• Childcare tax credits to be phased out to help meet the costs of extra childcare, with funding going mainly to early education and care providers

The groups said that a package of early education, care and parental leave could have significant economic and social benefits for Britain.

If we are to get a childcare policy that works ask the people who will be the actual customers Adrian Cannon, Edinburgh, Scotland Have Your Say

This would come from increasing parental employment and boosting the future productivity of the children who had had high quality early education and care.

The groups estimated that their proposals could boost UK national income by up to 2%, equivalent to �24bn a year.

The cost to the taxpayer of extra childcare provision would rise gradually to between �8bn and �15bn by 2020.