Childcare Bill

I beg to move, That the Bill be now read the Third time. Our debates on the various stages of the Bill have been productive, constructive, at times humorous, and well intentioned. I pay tribute to the commitment that Members in all parts of the House have shown, and to the detailed knowledge that many of them have brought to our deliberations as a result of many years of interest in the subject, going far beyond our experience as parents. Apart from the one, albeit fundamental, dividing line between us on reducing inequalities, we have achieved a remarkable degree of consensus on the principles of the Bill and its aims. That is a measure of the extent to which the Government have shifted the ground. Such transformational change as we have seen over recent years, culminating in the Bill, in marked contrast to previous Government policies, commands consensus across the political parties. The Bill has benefited from the close scrutiny to which it has been subjected, and the changes that have been made have improved it. I thank the Deputy Speakers who have chaired our discussions today, and our Chairmen in Committee. I thank the hon. Members for East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton) and for Mid-Dorset and North Poole (Annette Brooke), who led the debates from the Opposition Benches, and their hon. Friends. I also thank the Under-Secretary, my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Garston (Maria Eagle), and all my hon. Friends who have taken such an active part in the debate and helped us enormously, and I thank the Clerks and our officials, whom my hon. Friend has just mentioned, who have supported us ably throughout. I am grateful to everybody. Let me put the Bill in the context of Government objectives since 1997 of transforming the experience of children, young people and their families. We are doing that, first, because we are serious about increasing social mobility, reducing inequalities and tackling the long-standing disadvantages for many children and families that existed prior to 1997. Secondly, we need to respond to the labour market changes that have occurred over recent years, the aspirations of women as well as men, and the desire for both parents to have the flexibility of combining work and home life in ways that still provide high-quality options for their children. Thirdly—we have not discussed this issue, but it is none the less important—as a nation, we need to maximise the achievement of all our people in the face of increasing global competition, which includes rising economies such as China and India. We must ensure that every child reaches their potential and goes on from early years to educational success. Investment in early years is not only a social and moral imperative, but an essential measure for parents in their home and work lives and for our international economic competitiveness. The Government have worked to bring about that transformation since 1997. We started with a massive increase in child care places and moved on to the Children Act 2004, the ““Every Child Matters”” programme, the five outcomes, the 10-year child care strategy, the promise of a children’s centre in every community and extended schools, and this landmark Bill extends that process. It is the first ever Bill dedicated to early years and child care, which demonstrates our commitment to early years and ““Every Child Matters””. We are providing opportunities and choice, improving outcomes, reducing inequalities and increasing long-term investment. The Bill focuses on outcomes and ensures that parents have a real choice. The Bill empowers local authorities to be the strategic leaders, which is a role that they will fulfil in consultation with parents and providers. Parents will be given the information that they need, and there will be a new approach to inspection and regulation. The early years foundation stage will build on what works and good parenting, and the child care register will extend quality. Last but not least, the need to safeguard children underpins the entire Bill. That is everybody’s business, and we will discuss it in greater detail when we consider the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Bill, which has been mentioned today. The Bill is important and exciting. It starts to redraw the welfare state in terms of what families can expect to be provided for them in their areas on a local basis. The focus is on quality, improving outcomes for children in early years and reducing inequalities. The Bill is an integral part of our ““Every Child Matters”” programme, and it will ensure that every child has the opportunity to achieve their full potential. It is good to see the commitment of Opposition Members to the Bill, which I commend to the House.