Westminster this week - Childcare Bill providing free childcare dominates parliament this week - another manifesto commitment fulfilled

Today sees the debate on the Childcare Bill
Details can be found here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-32896284
The extended free childcare entitlement for working parents of three- and four-year-olds will provide eligible parents with a total of 30 hours of free childcare per week, over 38 weeks or the equivalent number of hours across more weeks per year. This dominates the week which sees full debate of the Charities Bill and an opposition day debate. I have a variety of other meetings and jobs as a whip this week which I will blog more on later.

Childcare Bill in parliament today - fulfilling our pledge to provide 30 hours free childcare

In England, all three- and four-year-old children, and disadvantaged two-year-old children who meet the eligibility criteria, are currently entitled to 15 hours of free childcare per week for 38 weeks of the year. The Childcare Bill would provide for an increase in the entitlement to free childcare to 30 hours a week (for 38 weeks of the year) to be made available to eligible working parents of three- and four-year-old children in England. The Bill would also require English local authorities to publish information about the provision of childcare, and other services or facilities which may be of benefit to parents or prospective parents, or children or young persons, in their local authority area. The Government has stated that the increased entitlement would be implemented for all working parents from September 2017, with trials being introduced for some families in September 2016. We debate the matter in detail on Wednesday afternoon. Fuller details of the passage of the bill through parliament are here:
http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2015-16/childcare.html