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Childcare Bill

The amendments are technical, so I have no intention of making a long speech. At this stage, one has to rely on the expertise of those who drafted them. I would like to make a brief comment on amendment No. 15. It is strangely interesting that it reflects in reverse a discussion that we had in Committee. We were concerned that social services departments per se would no longer be identifiable when children’s social services were subsumed within children’s services. Certain duties and responsibilities should be clearly specified under the heading of social services and it must be made absolutely clear to the directors of children’s services. I accept the amendment, but I am little concerned about the terminology. Lords amendment agreed to. Lords amendments Nos. 11 to 19 agreed to.