Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of permitting people to undertake government-funded childcare to children they are related to, but are not the parents of.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

It is the department’s ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.

Funding made available in the dedicated schools grant for the early education childcare entitlements for children aged from 9 months up to school age, cannot be claimed by, or spent on, any type of childcare providers who provide childcare for related children.

This restriction for local authorities funding relatives is set out in the Childcare Act 2006. Section 18(4)(c) the 2006 Act specifically excludes care provided for a child by a parent or other relative and section 18(8)(c) of the 2006 Act states that a relative, in relation to a child, means “a grandparent, aunt, uncle, brother or sister, whether of the full blood or half blood or by marriage or civil partnership”.

Successive governments have taken the view that people should not receive funding for looking after related children that they may already look after on an informal basis for free. This is on the basis that it would not be an effective use of public money. For this reason, the department has no plans to change this long-standing position at this time.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to increase the penalties for (a) failing to display a front registration plate and (b) using a plate that does not meet the legal requirements on a car.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government keeps the motoring offences under review, and is considering possible interventions.

Pupils at Reddal Hill Primary School and Earth Day

Service with the British Commanders’-In-Chief Mission to the Soviet Forces in Germany, 1946-1990

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Emily Thornberry (Chair); Alex Ballinger; Phil Brickell; Dan Carden