Mr. Toby Wolfe:

I am happy to answer that question. I wish to clarify, at the outset, that some childminders are already subject to regulation if they look after four or more preschool children or seven or more children of any age. As Mr. Gloster pointed out, it is on that basis that there are a number of childminders who are already registered and regulated.

What is proposed in the action plan is to extend regulation to all paid non-relative childminders who are working in the childminder's home, which will require the amendment of primary legislation, that is, the Child Care Act 1991, as well as the introduction of childminder-specific regulations. The detail of what the regulations will look like and the exact wording of any proposed amendment to the Child Care Act is still to be worked out. In terms of the threshold of who will meet the definition of childminder subject to regulation, the intention is that it will be all childminders who work in the childminder's home, are non-relatives and are paid. It is a similar basis to the threshold used in other jurisdictions that have already gone down the road of regulating childiminding.