Diolch eto, Llywydd. Thank you very much. 

First of all, let me just begin by saying this childcare offer is very clear on what it's doing. I think some of the discussion here is what is set out on the face of the Bill in primary legislation and what is set out in regulations or in schemes of operation and so on. This Bill is actually very narrow. Just to repeat it: it's the mechanism that sets up the operation of the HMRC to discuss eligibility of parents to apply for the childcare offer. However, I would simply say—and in response to Siân's ambitions for what a childcare offer may look like, what an early years offer might be—there are always discussions around where we go in the future, but I would simply say: for want of the perfect, do not throw out what is the very good. Because the early implementer responses—the year 1 response to this—showed how successful this has been and how well it's been regarded, and the fact that it's putting £200 to £250 in households, some of whom are on the lowest wages as well—so this is working, it's effective. But I understand the aspirations to do more in future and so on, and many of us have articulated those aspirations for what we do in future, but this childcare offer is very clear, the Bill is very narrow. However, some of this discussion is around what's on the face of the Bill and so on. Let me just turn to this: the majority of the amendments in this group, particularly amendments 6, 11, 8 and 5 and consequential amendments 19 and 10, relate to the eligibility criteria for the offer and are closely aligned with some of the responsible committee’s recommendations about opening up the scope of the offer to parents in training and education. Now, we debated this at quite some length at Stage 2 proceedings, and very recently, in fact, I wrote to the Chair and members of the Children, Young People and Education Committee outlining the various schemes available to parents that are outside of the parameters of this offer.

So, let me just briefly remind all Members of that. There are a range of other programmes already in place to provide support to other categories of parent. This includes the parents, childcare and employment programme—PaCE—Flying Start, work-based learning support for non-employed learners, the financial contingency fund for individuals attending further education, and the childcare grant to students in higher education. PaCE is £13.5 million of Welsh Government and European social fund project funding. It targets its services to economically inactive parents right across Wales who consider childcare to be the main barrier for them accessing training or employment opportunities. And since July, it's worked with over 3,400 parents and it's helped 1,100 of those into work. Five hundred and ninety parents have received financial support through PaCE for their children to access registered childcare. This has enabled those parents to undertake training, work experience, volunteering, and to increase confidence and employability skills, which have improved their chances of moving into employment—[Interruption.]. I will in a moment, Siân. It has also paid over £400,000 in childcare costs, not only supporting parents to prepare for work, but helping them make the transition into employment for the first few weeks, and, as I outlined in the letter, discussions are ongoing with the Welsh European Funding Office regarding extending the PaCE project beyond 2020. And the evaluation findings we have as part of this childcare offer will form part of that consideration. Siân.