Live online chat with The Rt Hon Beverley Hughes MP, Minister for Children, on Thursday 24th May 1-2pm

[carriemumsnet]

Hi all

Ok this is your chance to have your say about what, in an ideal world, you'd like to happen to childcare, nurseries and pre-schools (as well as debate what's happening in the sometimes non ideal world). The Rt Hon Beverley Hughes, Minister for Children and mum of three, will be joining us for a lunchtime chat on Thursday 24th May, so bring your sarnies, get your questions ready and join us then. For those of you who have unavoidable lunchtime commitments (and letters from your mum to prove it) we'll let you post your questions in advance here. For the rest of you, we'll see you on the 24th.

she isn't very well known is she?

or is that just me

Can we start posting questions now ?

Does anyone have a link to any information on this rather less well known minister/MP.

What clout does she have ?

That's brilliant. I emailed her a link to this thread a few months ago and would be very interested to hear what she thinks about the issues it raises.

I've put it in my diary and will be here.

or for lazy people a radio 5 style intro

Pinball, I must correct myself, she is more well known than I first thought, just google her name.

She was recycled after a year or two out of the public eye.

official biog:
Beverley Hughes has overarching responsibility for children, young people & families policy across the Government. Before entering Parliament in 1997, Beverley Hughes had a number of careers as a probation officer, academic and local councillor, becoming leader of Trafford Metropolitan Council in 1995. She was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary in 1998 and Minister for Local Government and Housing in 1999. At the Home Office, she was Parliamentary under Secretary of State for Prisons and Probations and the Minister of State for Immigration, Citizenship and Counter ? Terrorism. In 2005 she was appointed Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families at the Department for Education and Skills. Beverley is married with three children who all attended local primary and secondary schools, and lives in Trafford, Manchester.

hth and see y'all next week

How about financial help for those of us who want to stay at home and bring up our own children? Government policy starts from the view that mothers are "trapped at home" but some of us would much rather look after our kids than put them into childcare. It's only financial necessity which dictates that we have to work. What about assigning some value (and therefore some financial assistance) to being a stay at home mum?

Can I ask what she thinks about UNICEF reporting that Britain is the worst place in the developed world to be a child? See here And here

Well, not just what she thinks - because clearly the answer is likely to be "ooh, that's awful", but rather what she's doing about making it better.

i agree with satine. i have been back at work since sept 05 and i would have loved to be able to stay at home with my dd. i had pnd quite badly and this wasn't helped an awful lot by having to leave my daughter.

i am also quite old fashioned - i grew up with the idea that all i wanted to do was to be a wife and mother and stay at home until my children were in school. unfortunately, it wasn't feasible for us to have me staying at home.

i once argued with dp that if sahm (and sahd) were paid a proper "wage" then they would earn at least twice what he does - if not more.

moms and dads who would love to be at home with their children should have more financial help and not at the risk of their pensions either.

what satine and fransmom said..

for as long as this is a materialisic society, until there is a financial value placed on being a SAHM..it will perpetuate the divide and the resentment that can grow between WOHM and SAHM

and good , subsidised childcare is so necessary.....

hear here hunker >

What is a 'Rt Hon', is this an MP?

Their "wraparound care" fanfares. My DC's breakfast club starts at 8AM and after school clubs finish at 6PM.

I live in Kent. If you want to take a job in London which is 9 to 5 or 9.30 - 5-30 (ie a bog standard time) you simply cannot do it because you need to be on that train before 8AM and on the way back, before 5PM (we have the worst transport system in Europe, you see).

Given that London is the main place for jobs around here, that's not my idea of wraparound care. Does the government have any ideas at all about this? Would staying at home be an idea?

Would you agree that there should be subsidy for Mums who look after their own pre-school children ? I believe there should be an allowance for every child regardless of family circumstance and the parents can then decide if they want to use it to pay for childcare while they earn money at work or whether they want to look after their own children. I am not saying whether I believe either of these is the best option or not but my choice of looking after my children is not subsidised. I had three pre-school kids at one point so in fact I was freeing up another woman to work who would otherwise have been looking after my children so it is not even that it means there are more women in the workforce necessarily. Also a transferable tax allowance would help as currently my husband's salary is heavily taxed and we are subsidising other people's childcare !

Re : the Giant Squirrel Spotter point, wrap around childcare has to be of good quality. You are very lucky to have 8 until 5.30. We only have after school care at the moment for a couple of hours, but the children are walked over a busy road to another school and I am afraid there is no way I would leave my children in the care of the people who run it. They are teenage girls who wear jeans that are so long they get wet to their knees (I am not exaggerating!), they swear on the way to pick up the kids (hopefully not with the kids) and smoke. Occassionally they carry a medicine bag with them. I am afraid that restricts me to finding a job that will be 10 until 2 and as a science graduate, teacher and M.Sc. I am afraid that will mean not finding a job to suit my qualifications !

cannot make the date, sorry... have letter from pre-school to prove i, miss...

i would like to ask is pre-school / nursery the place to address some pressing social problems..

1. what can be done practically to address absence of english spoken as first language..can this be addressed at pre-school / nursery setting before school ?

1. are intensive english classes to allow children who donot speak english as first language get them to a level to participate with peers... to understand the teacher and learn along with classmates...

the issues people talk about at our preschool are the local primary schools who cannot cope have many class room assitants just to help children understand ...

..here the amount of children who cannot be taught in english on entereing primary school are reckoned to be 40 to 60%

it is not fair for them or for the other children in class
what is being done to address the every day social problems in areas where many languages are spoken?

expat rt hon is mp yeh

oooh ..this is like the 21st century hustings....

carriemumsnet..there should be a gap in TB's diary from 27/6onwards ....can you gal's bag him?....charlies angel style of course!

go on please try...

Why does the Labour Party tolerate the inclusion of Margaret Hodge, who presided over years of free child abuse in Islington's children's homes, and who, when this was discovered, tried to gag the newspaper in question and called a victim - Demetrious Panton - who spoke out, an 'extremely disturbed person' in order to discredit him? If you are remotely interested in child welfare, why is this person allowed to be a Labour MP? I will never vote Labour while this state of affairs continues.

Do you boycott Nestle products?

I think Rt Hon is a member of the Privy Council, rather than any old MP

aloha...when i first saw beverly hughes i thought margaret hodge...complete disgrace i agree..

mind you, there are lots of other many many things that ensure i could never vote labour ever never again...

(i.e. current and former Cabinet Ministers)