HC Deb 30 November 1977 vol 940 c277W
Mrs. Chalker

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services which local authorities are known to his Department to operate a child-minding inspection at present; and how many inspectors are involved.

Mr. Moyle

In no local authority is an officer known to be designated as an inspector to carry out the responsibilities of the authority under the Nurseries and Child Minders Regulations Act 1948 (as amended) for inspecting child minders. In some social services departments those responsibilities are vested in an officer responsible only for services for children under 5, or for children minding services; in others they are combined with a wider range of duties but in a smaller area.

Mrs. Chalker

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the latest average costs of child minding known to his Department; how many persons are currently registered as child minders in England; and how many non-registered child minders he estimates there to be.

Mr. Moyle

Average costs of child minding are not available centrally; at 31st March 1976 there were 31,300* persons registered as child minders in England. There is no official estimate of the number of unregistered childminders. *provisional figures.