§ 1. Mr. Liptonasked the Minister of Health whether he will seek to amend the Nursery and Child Minders Regulation Act, 1948, in order to exercise more effective control of baby-minders.
§ 11 and 23. Miss Lestorasked the Minister of Health (1) if he will introduce legislation to regulate advertising by persons offering their services as child minders;
§ (2) if he will set up an inquiry into the whole field of child-minding.
§ The Minister of Health (Mr. Kenneth Robinson)I am already considering the need to amend the Act of 1948.
A number of inquiries have been undertaken recently or are still in train, and I do not think that a further inquiry would add materially to our knowledge of the facts.
§ Mr. LiptonDoes my right hon. Friend accept that the present law on the subject of children under five is inadequate, handled as it is by three Government Departments—Home, Health, and Education—and that the time has come to do something to avoid the tragedies which occur from time to time of children being burnt by overturned paraffin stoves and that sort of thing? There are far too many loop-holes in the law at the present time.
§ Mr. RobinsonI sent a circular of guidance to local health authorities, and on the basis of reports from them I have made certain proposals to associations for strengthening the requirements of the 1948 Act, with the object of safeguarding the health and welfare of children.