Labour MP pledges her support to the House of Commons Nursery

The MP says that the nursery 'makes an invaluable difference to working parents', especially members of Parliament.

She goes on to say that ‘honorable members value the flexibility given their busy and unpredictable schedules’, and condemns suggestions that the nursery is a ‘waste of public money’ and should be closed.

Last month, the MP for Birmingham Hall Green Roger Godsiff tabled an EDM calling for the House of Commons Nursery to increase its fees or close down. He claimed that the 40-place nursery is attended by only 24 children and running at a projected loss of £100,000 this financial year. His EDM received no signatures.

However, Ms Powell (pictured), whose EDM has received 33 signatures to date, says that the nursery, which opened in 2010 and is operated by the London Early Years Foundation (LEYF), is projected to break even by March 2014.

Signatories to the EDM include Labour MPs Diane Abbott, Glenda Jackson and Sharon Hodgson, Liberal Democrat MPs Annette Brooke and Mark Williams and Conservative MP Eleanor Laing.

The MP for Manchester Central said, ‘The House of Commons Nursery is a big support for a growing number of MPs who have babies and young children. The irregular and unpredictable hours of the House of Commons make the nursery vital for working parents who are MPs.

‘The nursery was part of reforms to the House of Commons by the Speaker to drag Parliament into the 21st century, although it seems that a minority of MPS want to pull it back again. Many 21st century workplaces include workplace nurseries as a flexible approach to supporting working families. Why should Parliament by any different.

‘After investing in the new nursery it would be a criminal waste to now close it down when it will break even next spring and the number of families using the nursery is increasing.’