§ Ms. RichardsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what child care provision his Department provides for pre-school age children of the Department's employees; what child care provision for school holiday and/or after-school care is provided for employees' children aged five and over; what plans there are for increasing provision in the next five years; and how these are to be funded.
§ Mr. LeeIn the Department of Employment group a care-parent scheme operates for staff with children under five years old at the Health and Safety Executive headquarters in Bootle. Holiday play schemes, for employees' children aged five years and over, operate in the Department of Employment's headquarters at Runcorn, the Manpower Services Commission headquarters at Sheffield and the Health and Safety Executive headquarters in London. Additionally, we participate in two interdepartmental holiday play schemes in Bootle and Edinburgh. Several initiatives are under consideration or are proposed. These include the provision of creche facilities, at the Department of Employment in Runcorn and at the Health and Safety Executive in Bootle; also a care-parent scheme for Manpower Services Commission staff at Sheffield and an interdepartmental holiday play scheme in London (SW1). As regards plans to increase provision in the next five years, the Department will continue to consider sympathetically proposals for day care and holiday play schemes and, where possible, will provide practical help where there is evidence of sufficient demand to make it financially viable. The Department may be able to offer initial financial support to new daycare schemes but they must be viable without a continuing subsidy.