Welfare Reform Bill

I thank the Minister for explaining clearly the impact of the abolition of the 16-hour rule. It is very welcome, particularly the number of additional people who will now come within the scope of receiving childcare. That is something that I very much welcome and I sense that that is shared in the Committee. I also welcome the Minister’s assurance that the £300 million that has been found is additional money; that is a very important point. Like other noble Lords, I look forward to hearing in more detail about how that money will be implemented, when it will become available, transitional arrangements and such things. I am pleased that we have had an opportunity to debate regional variations—some very good points were made. I fully take the point made by the noble Lord, Lord Wigley, that as well as childcare costs varying significantly, so do wage rates. I also understand the complexity of the issue, particularly with very local variations. None the less, it is still an issue that we will have to consider further as time moves on. I hope that it will at some stage be possible to consider further what might be done in this area. I welcome the overall architecture that universal credit provides. I hope that, as time moves on and resources allow, it will be possible to increase either the percentage or the amount of childcare costs covered, because they are such a barrier to getting back into work for some people. However, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment 30BB withdrawn. Amendments 30C to 31A not moved. Amendment 31B Moved by