BBC NEWS | Programmes | BBC Parliament

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

One-Minute World News

News services
Your news when you want it

RELATED BBC SITES

Last Updated: Monday, 28 November 2005, 13:14 GMT

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version

Childcare Bill

RECENT VOTES
AIM
This bill seeks to ensure an affordable, flexible, high quality childcare place is available to all families with children up to the age of 14 who require it.

MAIN PROVISIONS

TIMETABLE

Responsible department: DfES

Origin: House of Commons

Introduced: 8 November 2005

Second reading: 28 November 2005

Committee stage: 6, 8, 13, 15 & 20 December 2005

Remaining stages: 9 March 2006

Consideration of Lords amendments: 28 June 2006

LORDS:

First reading: 9 March 2006

Second reading: 21 March 2006

Committee stage: 19 & 26 April, 4 & 10 May 2006

Report stage: 12 June 2006

Third reading: 26 June 2006

ROYAL ASSENT: 11 July 2006

Places a responsibility on Local Authorities to shape and support the local childcare market to respond to the needs of under-14s and their families, in line with existing early education responsibilities.

Reforms the regulatory framework for early years education where providers are required to register and be inspected by Ofsted.

BACKGROUND

This legislation has evolved from the 'Ten Year Childcare Strategy' described by Gordon Brown in his pre-Budget report of December 2004.

Chancellor Brown made the following pledges:-

Paying lone parents �40 per week in their first year of returning to work
Extending the Child Trust Fund
Increasing and extending paid maternity leave - from six to nine months by 2007 and to 12 months by the end of the next Parliament. This can be transferred from mothers to fathers.
Improving flexibility in the work place to respond to childcare needs.
Extending free child care for 3-4 year-olds to 15 hours per week by 2010.
Increasing the number of Sure Start Children's Centres to 2,500 by 2008 and 3,500 by 2010.
Childcare Tax Credits will be raised for lower and middle income families - those earning less than �59,000 pa will have 80% of their costs paid for.

PROGESS

12 June 2006 House of Lords Report Stage
-A Tory amendment to extend into the foreseeable future the duty of local authorities to provide sufficient childcare. Contents 147; Not-Contents 147 - rejected as there was no majority
-An all party amendment to alter the semantics of a learning requirements clause to reflect a supportive rather than dogmatic tone. Contents, 124; Not-Contents, 130 - amendment rejected