Deputy’s amendment seeks to reduce cost of childcare
REDUCING the costs of childcare to encourage more people back to work is the focus of an amendment submitted by Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller for debate at next week’s States meeting.
She will ask the States to direct Employment & Social Security to look into providing parents with free or subsidised childcare for infants under the age of two.
‘No wonder our birth rate is declining, because it’s so expensive to have children,’ said Deputy Kazantseva-Miller.
‘Evidence from many other countries shows that investment into subsidised or free childcare and preschool provision has a myriad of benefits and is overall a substantially positive return on investment.
‘Such benefits include better communication and educational outcomes.
‘They also provide parents and carers with the option to return to work or to increase their working hours.’
The amendment, which will be seconded by Deputy Heidi Soulsby, asks ESS to look at improving current childcare support at no extra cost to the States, by reallocating funds from benefits, such as family allowance.
It also proposes that Education, Sport & Culture should look at extending its current pre-school education scheme, which provides 15 hours a week free of charge in the year before a child starts primary school.
The final part of the amendment recommends that both committees should consider how to help parents with childcare during school holidays.
Deputy Kazantseva-Miller said the changes would encourage employment and improve education.
Guernsey has a relatively large proportion of adults not in work and the rate of workforce participation among the 25-64 age group has been on the decline.
Deputy Kazantseva-Miller claimed that another 650 people would currently be working if the island’s participation rate was the same now as it was in 2017.
She said young families were also suffering the ‘triple hit’ of childcare costs, increasing cost of living and high interest rates and that the States had been ‘dancing around the issue’ for too long.
‘I understand the current 15 free-hour provision costs about £2m. per year,’ she said.
‘Family allowance cost £8.6m. in 2021 and £6.3m. in 2022 following recent changes to the policy.
‘I think there is scope and argument to say that some of family allowance could be redirected to increased free or subsidised childcare provision because that’s when the childcare costs are highest.’
Deputy Kazantseva-Miller accepted that not all parents want to go back to work and said it must remain a personal choice.
‘But there is plenty of evidence to show that policies providing subsidised childcare and preschool education reap fully the benefits of such investment and are hugely welcomed by most parents and carers.’
‘Work done by PwC and others has shown that increasing participation will boost our GDP and, at the same time, increase pay for many people who need, or want, to get back into the workforce.’
The amendment will be considered as part of the Government Work Plan debate at next week’s States meeting.
