§ Mr. Freudasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what information is available to his Department in respect of the number of children cared for by childminders; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WhitneyInformation is not collected in the form requested. There were 57,800 registered childminders and 126,600 places available in England at 31 March 1985, but it is not known how many of these places were taken up. The figures show an increase of about 9 per cent. over March 1984.