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Childcare is so scarce in some parts of Wales that parents would find it easier to get their child into the exclusive school of Eton, it is claimed.
A Plaid Cymru MP will today say that relying on the private sector for childcare has failed Welsh families, who are often unable to find a childminder within 20 miles of their homes.
Hywel Williams, MP for Caernarfon, said Welsh-speaking families living in the three South Wales cities &em; Cardiff, Swansea and Newport &em; are the worst affected by Wales' childcare problem.
His comments come as a survey suggests many families are turning to their grandparents to help with child-minding duties &em; saving families thousands of pounds a year.
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Mr Williams, who will raise the problem of childcare in Wales in the House of Commons today, said the complexity of the tax credits system &em; intended to help pay for childcare &em; has made the problem worse.
Millions of pounds in credits go unclaimed each year, and is returned to the Treasury.
He said, "Childcare in rural Wales just isn't available, and at the same time there is increasing pressure on non-working mothers to go back to work. Provision of childcare for people who speak Welsh is very patchy, it's more difficult for the parents than getting their children into Eton."
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He praised the system used in Sweden, where there is guaranteed childcare for all parents within three months of applying.
Meanwhile research by the Skipton Building Society showed that without grandparents coming to the rescue, half of working parents would be forced to live on a tighter budget.
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- reprinted from the Western Mail