Part of 2. 2. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children – in the Senedd at 2:22 pm on 1 February 2017.
We’ve got five pilot areas, which cover six local authorities, and we’ve already started to work with them on how they devise their schemes. It will be a matter for the local authority in terms of what area space they pick, whether that’s ward-based or school-based or private-sector solutions, but we are keen to make sure that, pre summer, we’re able to ensure that the message goes out to parents in that cohort of individuals where they can access childcare. It is a pilot scheme and we anticipate that some of those pilot schemes actually will not continue in that form. But what we are doing is learning from the way this complicated scheme, as the Member will be aware, is happening in England. Trying to get that out through the door is quite challenging, but we are learning from this and, hopefully, the information that is—the important bit is making sure parents know well in advance their ability to access this programme.