The Conservatives have unveiled plans for extra funding for childcare and maternity leave.
The party says it will match Labour's pledge to raise maternity pay while allowing mothers to receive higher payments and return to work earlier.
More families could also receive up to �50 per child a week on top of existing tax credits and benefits for childminders to receive childcare credits would be extended.
Labour has already promised to increase the period of paid maternity leave while the Lib Dems have said working mothers will receive a guaranteed �170 a week in maternity pay for six months after the birth of their first child.
What do you think of the Conservative Party's childcare proposals? Are political parties promising enough help for families with children?
This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.
The following comments reflect the balance of opinion we have received so far:
As a mum of two, I could not afford childcare on the salary I would earn going back to work even if I wanted to, so I have become a registered childminder. I have spent probably over �400 on getting registered, received a grant of �300 and for the privilege of earning between �3.50 and �4 an hour, if I'm lucky, I will be paying annually for public liability insurance, ongoing training courses, increased car insurance costs, increased utility bills, etc, etc... Please take a second to think of us on the 'other side' next time childcare costs are being bemoaned! After all, we are being entrusted with the most precious and irreplaceable thing imaginable - for really not very much reward. How much is the minimum wage going up to this year?
Helen Gilbert, Farnham, England Great. As if it's not bad enough that I'm having to cover two colleagues' work while they're on maternity leave, now I've got to stump up even more of my hard earned cash to pay for them. I have no kids, and don't want any, so how come I (and others like me) do all the work and the paying but get no benefit at all? I'd like 6 months off work on full pay too, but I don't see it happening! So I'll struggle on trying to work three people's jobs and pay my bills while they all sit at home watching daytime TV. That seems to be about the size of it.
Helen, Glasgow
It's hard working full-time and being a mum too - I seriously would love to work part-time and spend more time with my son - but that's not going to happen with a mortgage to pay. Proposals from both Labour and the Conservatives have been a long time coming. Both major parties should consider tax relief for those who pay childcare too. As for those on here who are narrow minded enough to say they don't have kids and want to see some benefits for them - I simply say this - by having a child I have provided a future tax payer - somebody who will be providing healthcare and pensions for you in your old age. Many people fail to realise that the looming pensions crisis is linked with a demographic downturn. Less and less people are having children or are stopping at the one.
Kelly, Hampshire
What has happened to the idea that children are the parents' responsibility. You should only have children that you can reasonably care for and afford. The state has a responsibility to provide some things like education but not much more, and perhaps help for widows and widowers. Families, family values and parents being responsible for and paying for their children should be at the heart of it all.
Stuart, Thanet, Kent
Everyone keeps asking how the Tories are going to pay for it. By sacking the huge numbers of middle management that Labour has put into all the public services. Don't think your taxes are going on front-line staff, they are not. My wife is a doctor and has seen little increase in doctors or nurses, but the amount of management has tripled. They even got a brand new free car park for themselves while everyone else, including patients, have to pay.
Iain Ross, Dundee, Scotland
 |  Making childcare a tax deductible expense would be a good start |
As a working mother myself, I feel the present system of maternity pay/leave is ample. It already places enough strain on businesses and employers, and shouldn't be a problem for families who have planned and saved for their pregnancies. I would rather see extra money going into schools and before/after school clubs, not to mention school dinners, plus more help for students. Our children seem to be forgotten about once they start school. What about reintroducing the married person's tax allowance, rather than this tax credit nonsense, which most ordinary working people are not entitled to anyway. I'm the main breadwinner in our family, and I pay tax at the higher rate, so more tax allowances would be good. Making childcare a tax deductible expense would be a good start.
Becky, Hampshire, UK Some people have made it perfectly clear that those who have children are a burden on the state. The birth rate in England is very low as is the death rate, so we have an aging population. Offering financial help to relieve some of the cost of having children is a good thing. We need to encourage people to have more children. Remember it is these children who will be paying the taxes when we're all old and no longer able to work.
Caroline, Salisbury, England
More complicated rubbish to try and look child-friendly. Same as Labour - a total mess of proposals that will no doubt miss anyone earning slightly too much. Great for headlines, but little else. It would be far simpler to have a simple tax allowance, and/or council tax reductions. I also worry about the benefits side, as the only people who seem able to afford a large family are those on State benefit, or very high earners. Also, can small businesses really afford all of this?
John C, Bath, UK
What is the provision in other countries? We never seem to have real debates about what is best in this country. It always immediately jumps to party posturing or an ideological food fight. I personally think we undervalue people in this country, irrespective of which colour the politics. As soon as proposals are put forward we have knee jerk "but who will pay" responses. Don't people ever consider the improvements and benefits? We all have to contribute to our society and not always just look for what we can take.
Christopher Lamb, Edinburgh, Scotland
Incentives for families with one working parent would be good to see. People constantly say that family values are not passed on to children these days, well what do politicians expect if both parents need to work full time to meet the breadline. Children need parental guidance and care, and that's harder to give easily when both parents work.
Tom, Middlesbrough
I see nothing wrong the schemes announced - however it does neither of the major Parties any credit that they do not assist our brightest youngsters with their living costs. To leave University with debt is a disgrace to the Labour Party particularly.
Jack, Bradford, UK
To those people who bleat about children's education being a burden on the state and it being unfair to them, have they forgotten that they were once a burden on the state to be educated? In a civilised society, you nurture children, irrespective of whether you've had them or not. The proposals are good, but so much more should be done. Tax deductibility for crippling childcare costs would be one thing. Tax benefits where one partner stays at home to look after the children would be another.
John Ellis, Nottingham, UK What about mothers who stay at home? We can't use our tax allowance against our partner's salary, we don't qualify for any tax breaks or help. In fact we are totally ignored. Is it because we are in the minority or because the political parties don't want our votes?
Caron, England
Although I do not have any small children, I have to agree with some of the writers here who wonder why mothers who stay at home and look after their children seem to receive nothing or very little compared to those who are only interested in themselves and can't wait to get back to work. I would like to see more done for the stay at home and look after children mothers.
Michael Mciver, Hastings, UK
| I'm interested to see who comes up with the best parental deal |
As we are expecting our first child together the beginning of September and wife is starting maternity leave at the end of July, I'm interested to see who comes up with the best parental deal and how quick!
Barry, Chester, UK The trouble is that even if any of the promises being banded about by politicians of all parties are introduced we, the long suffering taxpayer, will once again foot the bill. Perhaps the politicians should be asking the question, why do both parents have to work to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table?
Ron Milligan, Gosport, Hants
I gave up a very well paid career to look after my baby and am currently expecting my second. We had to downsize our home for us to afford this luxury but in my opinion, nobody would be better qualified to raise my children than myself. Society doesn't seem to place any value on what I'm trying to achieve and consequently, I get no help from the state in terms of weekly 'childminding' allowance, National Insurance or pension contributions. It's totally unfair!
Gillian Biju
It sounds to me very much like 'anything you can do we can do better'. I would like to know where the money is going to come from to pay for all of this and do they not think for one moment that they stand a good chance of making women unemployable?
Steve Pennell, Burnley
| These payments are still far too low |
It does not add up with any of the parties. These payments are still far too low to have much benefit on any family. All the parties promise so much to everyone but fail every time to deliver on any of them.
Bumble, Dartford, Kent The cat is already out of the bag about Tory spending proposals. Any extra cash announced for child care etc will have to be met out of a severely cut public expenditure budget and would be at the expense of something else. These headlines now smack of desperation in Tory ranks.
R S, Pinner, UK
I wonder if Michael Howard will explain how he intends to pay for all these initiatives whilst at the same time cutting expenditure. It's just another Tory 'free money for all'.
Eddie, London, UK
Great to see all parties offering to help with child care costs - my wife and I cannot afford to live in central London on one salary but neither can we afford childcare. It will be interesting to see though how this still fits in with the Tory policy of overall tax cuts as leaked by Michael Flight. Maybe it's just Michael Howard jumping on another bandwagon that he really has no intention of fulfilling.
Mark Davies, London, UK
| What other services will be cut? |
More populist nonsense. The question is what other services will be cut or what will be privatised to pay for this?
Dick, Scotland What about people without children? Now both the Labour Party and the Conservatives are pampering to people with children, without a care for childless couples and single people. As a married man with no children, my wife and I do not place an extra burden on the state by having children to educate or pay for in health care. What do we get out of these proposals? Nothing, clearly. It's about time the millions of people who don't burden the state with the cost of children had a tax rebate, not increased taxes to pay for other people's children, which, no-one forced them to have in the first place.
Adrian Mugridge, Chester, UK
Come and vote for us, the price is right. I wonder who is paying for all of this? I suggest all single people move abroad as this country is for all those with children.
TJ Newman, Bournemouth, UK
How about reducing tax so that one parent can stay at home to look after the children? At the very least allow couples to pool their tax credits.
Paul Weaver, Twyford, UK
A fairly cynical pre-election ploy to win votes amongst younger women and mothers. As with any of their proposals, how exactly are they going to pay for it AND reduce taxes, without cutting money for public services and introducing charges in the NHS? Their figures just don't add up.
Elisabeth Telcs, Brighton, UK
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