CHILDCARE BILL IS SENSIBLE AND TIMELY, SAYS CBI
The Government is taking "sensible and timely" measures to improve services for children, the CBI said today (Tuesday) as it welcomed the publication of the Childcare Bill.
But the business group also warned that the rapid expansion of children's services should not be at the expense of voluntary and private sector providers, who are already delivering a range of quality provision.
Neil Bentley, the CBI's Director of Public Services, said: "This Bill is a sensible and timely step forward for public service reform. It begins to clearly differentiate between the role of local authorities as commissioners of services representing the interests of all local taxpayers - and as deliverers where councils should be seen as one provider amongst many.
"Councils must not be allowed to use expansion in provision for children as an excuse to construct a new state monopoly, however. Charities, the voluntary sector and commercial providers are already working well and new money should be used to improve provision, not to cut them out of the marketplace.
"Fairness and transparency in the market for children's services will help deliver where quality matters and where nobody is forced to choose second best."
8 November, 2005
Notes to Editors:
1. The CBI's Annual Conference takes place on 28-29 November 2005 at the Business Design Centre, Islington. For details about media facilities and how to accredit. contact the CBI Press Office tel. 020 7395 8090.
2. The CBI is the UK's leading business organisation, speaking for some 240,000 businesses that together employ around a third of the private sector workforce.
Member companies, which decide all policy positions, include:
- 80 of the FTSE 100
- some 200,000 small and medium-size firms
- more than 20,000 manufacturers
- over 150 sectoral associations.
No other UK organisation represents as many major employers, small and medium-size firms or companies in the manufacturing or service sectors.
The CBI's broad-based membership gives it unrivalled influence with the UK government. The organisation is also the UK's official business representative in the European Union, which generates more than 50 per cent of regulation affecting British firms.
With offices across the UK as well as in London, Brussels, Beijing and Washington, the CBI coordinates British business representation around the world.
Media Contact:
CBI Press Office, tel. 020 7395 8090. Out of hours pager 076 2397 7854.
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