Under the
Conservatives, Britain went to the bottom of the EU league for providing
childcare. The Tories:
- Eroded child benefit.
- Ignored the issue of childcare.
- Blocked EU initiatives on parental
leave and the rights of part-time workers.
Labour plans to phase out extra benefits for lone
parents. In December 1997 Labour unveiled their intention to:
- Keep the Family Premium for lone parents on Income
Support at £15.75 per week instead of being uprated in line with inflation.
- Cut One Parent Benefit from £6.05 per week to
£5.65 per week.
|
Liberal
Democrats are committed to equal opportunities for all. We would:
- Encourage more employers to provide
child-care facilities and to establish a system of tax-free child care vouchers for
working parents.
- Replace existing maternity rights and benefits with a
new statutory right to parental leave which can be shared between parents.
- Retain and improve child benefit as
a universal benefit.
- Make available classes for parenting for both boys
and girls, helping to create stable families.
- Develop a properly resourced national childcare
strategy, to be implemented by local authorities drawing on public, private and voluntary
provision.
- Women who have incomplete contributory records as a
result of caring responsibilities will benefit from the contributory principle being
abolished.
- Provide parenting advice and support schemes.
- Reduce the cost of childcare - the biggest barrier
stopping parents, especially lone parents, returning to work.
- Make sure that children with special needs are
assessed effectively and at the earliest stage possible, and that funding for meeting
those needs is identified.
- Introduce a low income benefit, which would make it
easier for lone parents to get back to work without losing benefit, enabling them to
afford child care.
- Investigate the possibility of tax breaks for
companies which invest in child care facilities.
|
