§ Dr. KumarTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to(a) train and (b) recruit people in the child care sector; and if he will make a statement. [122221]
§ Margaret HodgeGood quality child care helps to enhance outcomes for children. A skilled and qualified child care workforce is essential to meet our objectives to increase the availability of high quality child care for all age groups.
We provide for the training of child care workers through the Learning and Skills Council, and through funding allocated to local authorities and their Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships. It is for local LSCs and local authorities to assess needs in their areas and develop plans to ensure the training delivered best meets them. We issued joint guidance with LSC to encourage local planning for workforce development.
A national child care recruitment campaign has been running since 2000 to encourage people to consider a career in child care. It includes television and media advertising, a variety of customised information and materials, a national order line and a website with order facility. Local authorities promote careers in child care using a range of materials and events, working with local partners such as Jobcentre Plus, Careers Services, providers and sector organisations to provide practical help to potential recruits.
§ Mrs. CaltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment has been made of the reasons why local authorities make reciprocal arrangements to pay for(a) nursery and (b) child care facilities. [121264]
§ Margaret HodgePrior to April 2003, cross border disputes arose typically because of differences between local education authorities' (LEAs') eligibility criteria and grant distribution. Guidance issued by the Sure Start Unit encourages LEAs to make reciprocal arrangements or otherwise to consider funding on a case by case basis. Nursery education funding is now allocated to LEAs through their Education Formula Spending Share. This is calculated on the basis of the latest data on pupil numbers and reflects provision for all children taking up a free place, regardless of where they live. From April 2004, there should be no need for reciprocal arrangements since all LEAs will have a statutory duty to provide a free nursery education place for every three year old whose parents want one.
§ Ms BuckTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what the average cast for full day child care in each local education authority in England was in 2001–02; [120625]
(2) when he will reply to the question from the hon. Member for Regent's Park and Kensington North, ref 120625 tabled on 17 June. [125633]
§ Margaret Hodge110 of the 150 local authorities responsible for reviewing child care in their areas supplied figures to the Department for the average weekly cost of full day child care in their areas in 2001–02. Their figures are not directly comparable since they may have been collected at different times during96W the year. The are now somewhat out of date and they reflect figures given to us by the local authorities themselves.
97W
£ Local authority Average weekly cost of full day child care, 2001–02 Barnsley 100 Bath and North East Somerset 124 Bedfordshire 127 Bexley 122 Birmingham 95 Blackburn with Darwen 80 Blackpool 84 Bolton 102 Bournemouth 110 Bradford 92 Brent 105 Brighton and Hove 111 Bristol 116 Bromley 160 Calderdale 95 Cambridgeshire 120 Camden 115 Cheshire 111 Cornwall 95 Coventry 100 Croydon 110 Cumbria 80 Darlington 89 Derby 86 Devon 81 Doncaster 100 Dorset 96 Dudley 92 Durham 100 Ealing 150 East Sussex 125 Enfield 144 Essex 120 Greenwich 130 Halton 141 Hammersmith and Fulham 174 Harrow 134 Hartlepool 84 Havering 131 Herefordshire 64 Hertfordshire 156 Hillingdon 157 Hounslow 170 Isle of Scilly 90 Isle of Wight 48 Kensington and Chelsea 126 Kingston upon Hull 91 Kingston-upon-Thames 175 Kirklees 100 Knowsley 90 Leeds 143 Leicester 117 Leicestershire 110 Lincolnshire 86 Liverpool 88 Luton 108 Manchester 108 Medway 111 Merton 150 Middlesbrough 55 Milton Keynes 109 North East Lincolnshire 89 Newcastle upon Tyne 140 Newham 101 North Lincolnshire 86 North Somerset 90 North Tyneside 111 North Yorkshire 90
£ Local authority Average weekly cost of full day child care, 2001–02 Northamptonshire 60 Northumberland 123 Nottingham City 92 Nottinghamshire 95 Oldham 85 Oxfordshire 116 Poole 90 Portsmouth City 107 Reading 150 Redbridge 99 Redcar and Cleveland 75 Rotherham 99 Rutland 110 Sheffield 110 Shropshire 95 Slough 156 Solihull 101 Somerset 92 South Gloucestershire 123 South Tyneside 114 Southampton 125 Southwark 102 St. Helens 89 Stockport 126 Stoke-on-Trent 77 Suffolk 97 Tameside 91 Thurrock 104 Torbay 86 Wakefield 88 Walsall 76 Warrington 110 Warwickshire 110 West Berkshire 136 West Sussex 126 Westminster 120 Wigan 88 Wiltshire 92 Wirral 106 Wolverhampton 93 Worcestershire 93 York 108 Note:
Full day child care includes care for children under age eight for more than four hours in settings which are not domestic premises. All figures are rounded to the nearest whole pound.