§ Mr. BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what provision his Department makes for child care facilities for staff; what subsidy is provided for(a) nursery places and (b) holiday play schemes; if he will list the organisations used by his Department for child care; and if child care vouchers are made available to staff. [30018]
§ Mr. Tom ClarkeAs part of an overall Equal Opportunities Policy, the provision of child care facilities within my Department is two-fold: (i) one nursery place for a child aged between 6 months and 5 years at the Stepping Stones Nursery, based at Napier Hall, Pimlico. The Department subsidises the cost of this place by 50 per cent.
(ii) DCMS staff can also use places at the Westminster Holiday Playscheme which caters for children between 5 and 12 years old and which operates during all the main school holidays at various locations in Whitehall and Victoria. The Department again meets half the cost of any places taken up on this scheme.
Child care vouchers are currently not available to staff.