Childcare Bill criticised as vaguely worded with insufficient information

Ministers have come under attack for failing to include enough detail in legislation doubling the amount of free childcare parents can get for three and four-year-olds.

The Labour and Liberal Democrat leaders in the House of Lords hit out at the lack of detail on how the policy would work in practice.

Their comments came after two Lords committees were highly critical of the Childcare Bill.

The Constitution Committee described the Bill as a “particularly egregious example” of a trend “to introduce vaguely worded legislation that leaves much to the discretion of ministers”.

And the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee said the Bill included “insufficient information about the design of the new childcare provision for a properly informed debate”.

Education minister Lord Nash told peers debate on the next stage of the Bill would not take place until October – later than expected – to give more time for peers to discuss the details of the legislation.

The Bill will double free hours from 15 to 30 hours for 38 weeks a year – a total of 1,140 hours of childcare a year.

Ministers say up to 600,000 families will eventually benefit from the move, worth around £2,500 a year on top of the £2,500 they can already save from existing free childcare offers. The scheme is planned to start from September 2016 and be fully implemented by September 2017.

The Tories originally said the plan would cost £350 million a year, but Employment Minister Priti Patel has been appointed to chair a review of childcare funding, which she expects to deliver an “uplift” to the hourly rate paid by the Government.

The Pre-School Learning Alliance, which represents 14,000 private, voluntary and independent groups, has warned the existing 15 hours a week of free childcare is already ”grossly underfunded” by the Government.

Labour peers’ leader Baroness Smith of Basildon said before the start of committee stage debate on the Bill: “The way in which the Government has brought forward this Bill has serious implications for the way in which we, as a House, fulfil our constitutional obligations as a revising chamber. We can’t revise what isn’t there.”

She said the financial report should be made available before October’s report stage.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire, the leader of Lib Dem peers, said: “This has the hallmark of a party policy during a general election that they are now desperately figuring out what it actually means and how to put it together.”

He added: “We don’t want to see this Bill delayed. We want to see the Government make progress with a measure that commands a fair degree of support.

“But we want to be reassured that in the future this House will not be frustrated in its fundamental role of effective scrutiny because Bills presented to it have not been properly thought through.”

Lord Nash said the Government would reflect “very carefully” on the findings of the committees.

He added: “The Bill is very clear on what it sets out to achieve. It places a duty on the secretary of state to make available 30 hours of free childcare for working parents.

“That is a pledge that was in the Conservative party manifesto at the general election and it was similar to what was in the Labour party manifesto and I make no apology for the fact that we are getting on with delivering that pledge.”

Peers later adjourned committee stage debate.

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