Chris Grayling, Conservative MP for Epsom and Ewell, asked the education and skills secretary, Estelle Morris, to list the new regulations affecting pre-school playgroups and day nurseries introduced since Labour came to power in 1997. However, the response came from the minister formerly responsible for the early years, Margaret Hodge, who is now minister for lifelong learning and higher education.
Mrs Hodge listed 13 different sets of regulations, including regulations to implement the programme of three-and four-year-old nursery funding, regulations introducing the new national standards for daycare in England, and regulations giving the education secretary the power to accredit settings for children over seven so parents can claim the childcare element of the Working Families Tax Credit.
Rosemary Murphy, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association, said the regulations for childcare did not go far enough, as the national standards still do not apply to independent schools. She added, 'It makes a mockery of child protection if you can't protect the child in every childcare setting outside the home.' But she welcomed the prospect of other political parties developing views on the Government's early years policies.
Desmond Swayne, Conservative MP for New Forest West, asked for a statement about nursery provision. Mrs Hodge replied that the percentage of three-year-olds able to access free places had increased from 34 per cent in 1997 to 62 per cent in 2001, and that the funding available for early education would be increased from 1bn in 1996/1997 to 2bn in 2003/04.
