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Childcare Bill

All the easts, norths and wests can be confusing. [Interruption.] Not to mention highs, souths and so on. I am having one of those days. I shall simply refer to the ““hon. Gentleman””—that is easier. The hon. Gentleman made some points about the ill health provisions, which relate to List 99, to try to tease out precisely what was intended. He gave a couple of examples, including HIV infection and minor mental health problems. The provisions will mirror List 99. There will not be a separate list so that a minor health problem could suddenly be taken into account to ban somebody from a child care setting. Ill health will be taken into account only when it is already sufficient to prompt questions about an individual’s suitability for teaching children. The provisions will apply to individuals who could already go on List 99 if they are in an education setting. That does not therefore include HIV infection or minor mental health problems. We are considering examples, such as those that I gave earlier, of serious debility arising from ill health that could make somebody completely unsuitable for looking after children in a child care setting.