I shall speak briefly on amendment No. 1, which seeks to remove the general duty on a local authority to"““reduce inequalities between young children in their area””" and replace that with"““show how it is raising the quality of outcomes of the most disadvantaged””." After we debated the matter in Committee,...

I shall speak briefly on amendment No. 1, which seeks to remove the general duty on a local authority to"““reduce inequalities between young children in their area””" and replace that with"““show how it is raising the quality of outcomes of the most disadvantaged””." After we debated the matter in Committee,...

My hon. Friend the Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton (Mr. Gibb) was making this point: when one attempts to reduce inequalities, one first attempts to bring up the standard of those who have fallen behind, but if one cannot do that, there is only one other option—bringing down the...

My hon. Friend the Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton (Mr. Gibb) was making this point: when one attempts to reduce inequalities, one first attempts to bring up the standard of those who have fallen behind, but if one cannot do that, there is only one other option—bringing down the...

I am not sure how that could possibly happen. The hon. Gentleman’s comment reflects the Conservative party’s general paranoia about levelling down. Conservative Members seem to think that there will be a huge move up and down the country to lower outcomes for the better-off in order to achieve a...

I am not sure how that could possibly happen. The hon. Gentleman’s comment reflects the Conservative party’s general paranoia about levelling down. Conservative Members seem to think that there will be a huge move up and down the country to lower outcomes for the better-off in order to achieve a...

It is simple: the law depends on the words in the Bill, which are ““reduce inequalities””. If it proves impossible to bring up the standard of those who are being left behind to those who have gone ahead, there is only one option, which is to bring down the standard...

It is simple: the law depends on the words in the Bill, which are ““reduce inequalities””. If it proves impossible to bring up the standard of those who are being left behind to those who have gone ahead, there is only one option, which is to bring down the standard...

The hon. Gentleman has demonstrated the paranoia to which I have referred. I do not understand what mechanism will be used to achieve that levelling down.

The hon. Gentleman has demonstrated the paranoia to which I have referred. I do not understand what mechanism will be used to achieve that levelling down.

Since the Bill was in Committee, the right hon. Member for West Dorset (Oliver Letwin), who is policy chief of the Conservative party, has given an interview to The Daily Telegraph, in which he said that it is a priority to reduce the gap between rich and poor—in other words,...

Since the Bill was in Committee, the right hon. Member for West Dorset (Oliver Letwin), who is policy chief of the Conservative party, has given an interview to The Daily Telegraph, in which he said that it is a priority to reduce the gap between rich and poor—in other words,...

I thank my hon. Friend for sharing that policy development with Conservative Front Benchers, who are clearly unaware of it. A concentrated effort would be required from all public agencies on levelling down, because all the evidence suggests that better educated and better informed people are, for example, changing their...

I thank my hon. Friend for sharing that policy development with Conservative Front Benchers, who are clearly unaware of it. A concentrated effort would be required from all public agencies on levelling down, because all the evidence suggests that better educated and better informed people are, for example, changing their...

It is worth teasing out the information a little further. The figures are clear. We have seen a seismic difference in closure of nursery places over the past two years. The year before last, 59,000 places closed; last year, 200,000 places closed. The feeling we get is that that is...

It is worth teasing out the information a little further. The figures are clear. We have seen a seismic difference in closure of nursery places over the past two years. The year before last, 59,000 places closed; last year, 200,000 places closed. The feeling we get is that that is...

I do not have those figures, but I agree that there is churn in the private sector part of the child care market. It is not significantly greater than the general figures that I have seen on churn in other parts of the private sector market not related to child...

I do not have those figures, but I agree that there is churn in the private sector part of the child care market. It is not significantly greater than the general figures that I have seen on churn in other parts of the private sector market not related to child...

For the sake of clarity, the Minister is saying that her contention in Committee—that"““closure rates for these small businesses . . . have fallen dramatically.””—[Official Report, Standing Committee D, 8 December 2005; c. 121.]—" is consistent with the figures that she has given, whereby approximately 128,000 places closed between 2003...

For the sake of clarity, the Minister is saying that her contention in Committee—that"““closure rates for these small businesses . . . have fallen dramatically.””—[Official Report, Standing Committee D, 8 December 2005; c. 121.]—" is consistent with the figures that she has given, whereby approximately 128,000 places closed between 2003...

: I have no great disagreement with the hon. Member for Wycombe (Mr. Goodman). I certainly share his concerns about sustainability. We should, however, also be mindful of the problem of affordability. I am sure that there is a desire for child care, but it may not translate itself into...

: I have no great disagreement with the hon. Member for Wycombe (Mr. Goodman). I certainly share his concerns about sustainability. We should, however, also be mindful of the problem of affordability. I am sure that there is a desire for child care, but it may not translate itself into...

As my hon. Friend the Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton) has pointed out, three months have passed since Second Reading, which was the last opportunity that I had to speak on the Bill, as I did not serve on the Committee. However, today, along with my hon....

As my hon. Friend the Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton) has pointed out, three months have passed since Second Reading, which was the last opportunity that I had to speak on the Bill, as I did not serve on the Committee. However, today, along with my hon....

I welcome the hon. Member for Wycombe (Mr. Goodman) on his debut to the Front Bench. As he implied, I am well aware of his responsibilities because of the dozens of parliamentary questions that he has assiduously put my way, the answers to which he used to good effect today....

I welcome the hon. Member for Wycombe (Mr. Goodman) on his debut to the Front Bench. As he implied, I am well aware of his responsibilities because of the dozens of parliamentary questions that he has assiduously put my way, the answers to which he used to good effect today....

: I support the amendments tabled by my hon. Friend the Member for Wycombe (Mr. Goodman). As hon. Members have already said, the market is mixed. That is one of the values of the market because it ensures that the provision of child care is diverse. An especially diverse group...

: I support the amendments tabled by my hon. Friend the Member for Wycombe (Mr. Goodman). As hon. Members have already said, the market is mixed. That is one of the values of the market because it ensures that the provision of child care is diverse. An especially diverse group...

I do not think that there is a conflict in the way in which Conservative Members have selected part of the data that is available to us and to Ofsted on the total picture in relation to closure and opening rates of child care places. When referring to lower closure...

I do not think that there is a conflict in the way in which Conservative Members have selected part of the data that is available to us and to Ofsted on the total picture in relation to closure and opening rates of child care places. When referring to lower closure...

Will the Minister pick up on the issue that most concerns us? We have teased out in parliamentary questions the sheer volume of places lost in the nursery sector. The figures that she kindly supplied to me only this week show that more than 200,000 places are being lost. We...

Will the Minister pick up on the issue that most concerns us? We have teased out in parliamentary questions the sheer volume of places lost in the nursery sector. The figures that she kindly supplied to me only this week show that more than 200,000 places are being lost. We...