Child-care Ratios Debate

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Department: Department for Education

Child-care Ratios

Nicholas Dakin Excerpts
Thursday 9th May 2013

(11 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Elizabeth Truss Portrait Elizabeth Truss
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I thank my hon. Friend for his question, and he is absolutely right. What the Opposition are effectively saying is that a lot of parents should be priced out of the market and should not have the opportunities of parents in other countries to access high-quality and affordable child care. The previous Labour Minister, Beverley Hughes, admitted that Labour had got it wrong on child care, so perhaps the Opposition need to think again.

Nicholas Dakin Portrait Nic Dakin (Scunthorpe) (Lab)
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The Minister explicitly mentioned Sir Michael Wilshaw. Can she say whether he supports her ratios or not?

Elizabeth Truss Portrait Elizabeth Truss
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I can; Sir Michael Wilshaw wrote an article in Nursery World where he said that he supported the idea of higher qualifications for—[Interruption.] Let me finish my point. He supported higher qualifications for higher ratios for three and four-year-olds and he agreed that that should be extended down the age range.