SOUTH Down MP Margaret Ritchie (SDLP) has said the inadequacies of the Westminster Childcare Payments Bill and the potential removal of Childcare Vouchers goes against the grain of good government.
She said the British Government should have a caring and supportive role for parents and children and added: “The Childcare Payments Bill was introduced in the House of Commons on June 5 2014. Rather than supporting families with dependent children, this new piece of legislation could result in preventing some mothers from actually taking up gainful employment as childcare costs will not be fully covered.
“Indisputably, the British Government should be supporting families and trying to make it easier for parents of dependent children to get in to work, and to stay in work rather than introducing restrictive pieces of legislation which prevent parents from taking up paid employment. Communities would generally welcome any measures which aim to support their ability to do so.
“However, a number of significant concerns have now arisen regarding the potential impact of this legislative change on parents, which many believe will not serve the interests of enhancing access to, or sustaining employment. They relate mainly to the proposed operation of the Tax Free Childcare Scheme, including its scope and criteria for eligibility, as well as the proposed penalties for mistakes made in applications.
“One of the most fundamental concerns relates to the proposed removal of Childcare Vouchers which will have a detrimental affect not only on parents and children across Northern Ireland, but also on employers.
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South Down MP Margaret Ritchie[/caption]
“I have made representations to the Secretary of States for Work and Pensions and Northern Ireland urging that parents with dependent children seeking employment are provided with meaningful financial support to do so. I have also implored both Secretaries of State to ensure that legislative change does not result in punitive restrictive financial contributions for hard-pressed working parents which results in removing money from their pockets.
“Any new system designed to support parents to enter or sustain a place in employment must be easy to understand, simple to understand and as non-threatening as possible for parents in circumstances where something goes wrong. Above all, the British Government must demonstrate a caring and supportive role for parents with dependent children. That is the litmus test for any caring government that it needs to support all its citizens in a meaningful way,” added Ms Ritchie.
The objective of this new proposed legislation is to introduce a new scheme which provides financial support to help working families with the cost of childcare and help those with responsibility for children to take up paid work, or work for longer, where they may be deterred from doing so because of the need to meet childcare costs. The provisions within this Bill will be extended to Northern Ireland through a Legislative Consent Motion in the Assembly.
The lack of affordable childcare is the single biggest barrier to securing and sustaining employment for parents of dependent children, especially mothers in Northern Ireland. With the highest overall rate of economic inactivity within these islands, and working families facing childcare bills that consume an average of 44% of their average weekly earnings paying for just one full time daycare place, there is a growing need to increase the support available to parents get into work, and to stay there.
Government figures show that Northern Ireland also has the lowest level of tax credit and childcare voucher recipients in the UK, and that there could be in excess of 210,000 families with dependent children who are not claiming the help to which they are entitled.
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