Nursery World - Safe funding for early years is welcomed

Early years organisation NIPPA has welcomed the Labour Party's commitment to ring-fence funds for the early years sector in Northern Ireland as a 'timely, landmark decision'. The secretary of state for Northern Ireland and Wales, Peter Hain, delivered a series of commitments to improve children's life chances in his speech at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton.

The secretary of state for Northern Ireland and Wales, Peter Hain, delivered a series of commitments to improve children's life chances in his speech at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton.

Mr Hain said, 'Our forthcoming budget for the next two years will see a redirection of resources to new policies. We will boost our investment in Northern Ireland's children with a ring-fenced fund to deliver quality childcare, as well as breakfast and after-school clubs, and an expansion of Sure Start.'

NIPPA chief executive Siobhan Fitzpatrick said, 'Often, in the past, money earmarked for the early years sector has been spent on other things. Now early childhood services can look forward to a financially secure future no longer dependent on a range of short-term funding streams.'

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