Childcare Bill

I shall speak very briefly in support of the Question tabled by the noble Earl, Lord Listowel, on whether Clause 6 shall stand part. I will comment on disability in the debate on the amendment tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Rix. I do not know whether noble Lords noticed, but I tried at an earlier stage to move an amendment to deal with looked-after children or children in the care of the state, but I realised that it did not really sit with the Bill. I know that it is a huge concern for some people, and the figures published last week show that the state is not a good parent. Therefore, local authorities have serious concerns about managing their huge task, given the concerns, which many of us who speak in our debates have, about children in the care of the state. I share the comments made by the noble Earl.