HC Deb 10 February 1989 vol 146 cc837-8W
Ms. Richardson

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what child care provision the Northern Ireland Office provides for pre-school age children of the Department's employees; what child care provision, for school holiday 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. Ian Stewart

In accordance with the commitment in the circular "Equal Opportunities for Women in the Northern Ireland Civil Service" published May 1986, the Northern Ireland Civil Service has considered the provision of child care facilities and in particular workplace nurseries. It concluded that such nurseries could be provided only if there was a substantial injection of capital to meet start-up costs and a continuing subsidy from Government towards running costs. The use of public funds for this purpose has not so far been considered justifiable in relation to other needs.

However, the Northern Ireland Civil Service is anxious to assist staff in making other suitable child-minding arrangements and recently introduced a scheme to assist staff to find suitable registered childminders. In addition it is considering with the trade unions the provision of other facilities such as day care for pre-school age children, after-school care for older children, and holiday play schemes.

Full-time and Part-time FTE teaching staff: Derbyshire colleges of FE
Academic years
1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–881
Full-time Part-time

FTE

 Full-time Part-time

FTE

 Full-time Part-time

FTE

 Full-time Part-time

FTE

 Full-time Part-time

FTE
Chesterfield College of Technology and Arts 209.5 28.4 264.4 45.8 263.1 63.9 n/a n/a 249.0 62.5
The North East Derbyshire College of Further Education n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 78.2 33.9
The South East Derbyshire College n/a n/a 140.4 39.2 147.1 61.4 164.2 0.0 143.3 48.3
High Peak College of Further Education n/a n/a 104.4 34.1 111.2 23.5 n/a n/a 104.4 24.7
Derbyshire College of Further Education n/a n/a 320.4 60.0 325.8 69.4 341.4 68.8 352.6 63.2
Derbyshire College of Agriculture and Horticulture n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 38.0 3.9
Derbyshire College of Higher Education 319.3 14.4 304.6 13.7 285.8 15.9 274.0 23.3 266.1 23.1
1 Provisional.

Source: annual monitoring survey.

The home Civil Service part of the Northern Ireland Office, which comprises about 180 staff divided between London and Belfast, does not provide child care facilities, but gives sympathetic consideration to the individual needs of staff with young children.