But children's minister Beverley Hughes said, 'The evidence points incompletely the opposite direction', while reiterating her view thatproviders should not be allowed to charge top-up fees to supplementnursery education funding for three- and four-year-olds.
Ms McIntosh told MPs that the day before the debate she had chaired ameeting of providers from the private, voluntary and independent sectorsand challenged the minister to take up an invitation to meet them.
Liberal Democrat spokesperson Annette Brooke said there was 'greatanxiety', particularly in the private sector, over whether there wasenough money in the system for providers to offer the free entitlement,ensure quality and remain viable.
Ms Hughes said that top-ups 'would create a two-tier system, because itwould allow well-off parents to buy the best nursery education, whileleaving more disadvantaged families unable to do so'.
The debate at Westminster Hall, which sits alongside the main Commonschamber, was prompted by the recent visit of an all-party delegation ofMPs to Sweden to observe approaches to parenting and childcare.
Hywel Williams, Plaid Cymru MP for Caernarfon, said that average monthlychildcare costs in Sweden are around 100, maternity and paternityleave are more generously funded, and parents can return to work knowingthat they will be 'guaranteed a childcare place within three months ofasking'. Ms Hughes said the Government wanted to follow the Swedishexample but pointed out that its success was achieved over a long periodand with the help of high taxes.
Nottingham North Labour MP Graham Allen said Sweden's 'long-termapproach' and the all-party consensus on parenting and childcare issues'is the answer for us too'.
He added: 'As the chair of the local strategic partnership, I am lookingto create in Nottingham a 20-year prevention package, but I do not knowwhether there will be a local strategic partnership next April, orwhether it will have any money to spend, because the comprehensivespending review has been delayed for so long.'
