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Nursery Places (Crown Premises)

Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what basis a Department of Health press release, dated 11 June, identified an increase of 75 per cent. in nursery places on Crown premises ; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The figure was derived from the Department's statistics on day care services in "Children's Day Care Facilities at 31 March 1990 England (A/F 90/6)", a copy of which is available in the Library. Tables 1 and 2, which contain historical data on the number of day care places and premises, include information on facilities which were not required to register with the local authority. Between 1988 and 1990, the number of places in such facilities grew from 1,034 to 1,810. Facilities on Crown premises are likely to be the most significant category exempt from the requirement to register.

Child Workers

Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what action he will take to regularise child working conditions across the United Kingdom, in terms of hours worked, daytime work periods, nature of work and working conditions ; and if he will make a statement ;

(2) what studies have been carried out by his Department dealing with the number of children working in the United Kingdom ; and what are his current estimates for the number of children working in Great Britain.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : There are no plans to introduce changes to the present provisions.

Section 1(1) of the Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act 1920 prohibits the employment of any person under school leaving age in an industrial undertaking. This legislation, which is applicable to Great Britain, is enforced by Health and Safety Executive inspectors.

In England, the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 sets out general restrictions governing the part-time employment of children under school leaving age. Local authority byelaws made under the Act set out further restrictions while responding to local employment conditions.

The Department has not carried out any recent studies concerning the employment of children in England. Information is not collected centrally on the number of children employed in England.

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