Child Day-care Facilities (Hansard, 13 February 1996)

§ Mr. Kirkwood
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will conduct a survey of all child day-care facilities with a view to determining whether registration and inspection criteria are being carried out by local authorities in any way which encourages provision of places; [14225]
(2) if he will conduct a survey of child day-care facilities to ensure that local authorities are interpreting the registration and inspection duties laid on them in a reasonable way. [14226]

§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
My right hon. Friend does not have any plans for such surveys.

§ Mr. Kirkwood
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) when he expects to revise the guidance issued to local authorities in 1991 on regulation and review of childminding and day-care services for children under the Children Act 1989; [14278]
(2) if he will update the bibliography referred to in section 3 of annex 4 in the guidance on child care issued to local authorities in 1991. [14279]

§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
My right hon. Friend intends to revise and update the guidance to take account of an amendment made to the Children Act 1989 by the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 and further amendments planned to the 1989 Act which relate to supervised activities and holiday play schemes.

§ Mr. Kirkwood
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland to what extend parental consent to derogation from guideline standards for child care facilities will be taken into account in issuing local authority certificates of registration of day-care premises. [14227]

§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
Under the Children Act 1989, local authorities are under duty to register suitable providers of day-care for young children. Registration provides a framework to protect children and to ensure that services meet acceptable standards. It also reassures parents who arrange day-care for their children by others. In deciding whether to register applicants, local authorities are responsible for setting appropriate and consistent standards, taking account of central guidance. It would not be practicable to consult individual parents who may use different facilities from time to time about whether lower standards should be set in their facilities.