§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how he plans to increase the take-up of formal childcare by lower income families. [185061]
§ Jane KennedyThe Government are committed to helping children in low income families by providing and improving take up of good quality formal childcare. We are working to increase the availability, accessibility, affordability arid variety of formal childcare and, importantly, to ensure parents understand the choices open to them.
We have provided substantial investment via the Sure Start Unit and its predecessors —£4.2 billion invested since 1997 and a further £4.3 billion earmarked in the Spending Review for the period up to 2008—and have broadened the range of childcare opportunities available. For example, we brave introduced Extended School Childcare Pilots to provide the childcare lone parents need to enter employment and Childcare Taster Pilots to give lone parents the opportunity to experience formal childcare.
To further increase parents' knowledge, we have made individual and tailored advice available through the new deal and Jobcentre Plus and as part of the range of services offered by Sure Start Local Programmes and Children's Centres. Meanwhile, Jobcentre Plus has introduced dedicated Childcare Partnership Managers to coordinate Jobcentre Plus's programmes and strategies with local childcare development plans.
Through tax credits we have made significant improvements to the financial assistance for child care available to working parents up to £140 a week can be claimed —and have made plans for a voluntary accreditation scheme, extending the types of childcare 439W that parents can receive financial support for. We have also invested in the Support Childminder Scheme, to engage existing childminders in supporting new people, including informal carers, in registering with Ofsted.