She says that a future Labour Government needs to bring about a new deal for parents, particularly mothers, who she claims are frozen out of the labour market because of ‘poor childcare options’, or stuck in ‘limbo jobs’ on low wages and with few prospects for promotion.
The Labour MP has proposed that the next Labour Government appoint a childcare and early years minister with cross-departmental responsibilities in the Department for BIS and DfE. The idea being that the minister would co-ordinate support for working parents across Government.
Ms Powell says that childcare is not just a Department for Education issue, and while early years education is vital for child development and early intervention, childcare should be seen by Government as a key infrastructure priority to promote growth and get people back to work.
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