Diolch. Access to good, affordable childcare is key to happier, healthier lives and a stronger, fairer, more productive economy. The lack of affordable childcare is one of the main drivers of the gender pay gap that is persistently seen. As we saw during the pandemic, it was assumed that women would pick up the pieces when schools closed, and that is exactly what happened. We know that women were left juggling their role as teacher as well as cook, bottle washers, and trying to hold down a paid job. Our report points to a range of actions that can be taken to improve awareness of the support that is available to parents, strengthen the workforce and learn from the best practice of other nations. I want to thank stakeholders who contributed to this work, both from within Wales and internationally, including the parents and front-line childcare workers, some of whom I believe are in the gallery this afternoon. I also want to thank the excellent research and clerking staff who supported our inquiry.

It is noteable that significant numbers of families do not know what they are entitled to. And when you look at the latest Coram Family and Childcare annual survey of all British authorities, you can hardly be surprised, because less than half our local authorities have enough childcare for even the free early education entitlements that children should be getting. So, it's not surprising that local authorities are not bending over backwards to tell people about provision that doesn't actually exist. The Bevan Foundation reported that even awareness of the 10 hours of universal provision for three- and four-year-olds is low. And our focus group participants expressed varying degrees of awareness about the scope and eligibility criteria of both Flying Start and the childcare offer. It's quite a confusing picture, therefore.

We're pleased that the Government has accepted in principle our recommendation for how we can rectify this situation. We suggested that this could include writing to new parents, or promoting the support that's available when registering the birth. The Minister has put a lot of emphasis on the information that's available from each local authority's family information service, and we look forward to the refresh of the online 'Choosing Childcare' booklet that you've commissioned, which is due out later this year. But we do know that online information isn't sufficient to reach all families about their child's entitlement. And the family information service itself is excellent in that it provides information about stay and play provision, which is just as important in the very early days of parenthood, but it really doesn't flash up in golden lights exactly what is available as a child's entitlement.