CHILDCARE (FEES) REGULATIONS 2008
(SI 2008/1804)
13. The Department for Children, Schools and
Families (DCSF) have laid these two sets of Regulations. SI 2008/1801
sets the fees payable for inspections of independent schools carried
out by OFSTED. SI 2008/1804 sets out the fees payable by childcare
providers to OFSTED: application fees for joining the early years
register (EYR) and the general childcare register (GCR), and annual
fees payable by registered providers. DCSF have said that the
proposed fee increases are above the level of inflation, and are
needed to address a large shortfall between current fees and OFSTED's
costs of regulation and inspection. Under SI 2008/1801, while
a new reduced tariff inspection fee is being introduced for schools
which perform well, the fees for full inspections are being increased
by 100% for schools with up to 45 pupils, and by 54% for schools
with up to 151 pupils. There are no plans for further increases.
Under SI 2008/1804, the annual fees for the EYR are being raised
by 25% for childminders and 16% for day care providers in 2008,
with further increases proposed in 2009 and 2010 (albeit that,
in the light of consultation, the increases planned for 2010 are
below DCSF's original proposals). We note that, in tackling the
same problem of a shortfall of fee income, DCSF have proposed
significantly different levels of increases for different sectors
regulated by OFSTED.
TRADE IN GOODS (CATEGORIES OF CONTROLLED
GOODS) ORDER 2008 (SI 2008/1805)
14. The Department for Business, Enterprise and
Regulatory Reform (DBERR) have laid this Order. The main change
which it makes is the introduction of a three-tiered structure
to trade controls, in response to recent concerns relating to
specific goods and activities. As a result of this change, fully
extra-territorial controls (i.e., controls applying to UK persons
anywhere in the world) of certain trading activities will now
apply to small arms and man-portable air defence systems (MANPADs),
and cluster munitions will be subject to the strictest controls.
We note that, in their First Joint Report of Session 2007-08,[1]
the Commons Committees on Arms Export Controls have welcomed the
extension of extra-territorial controls which is given effect
in this Order.
1 Scrutiny of Arms Export Control (2008) (HC 254). Back
