In an interview with Nursery World, following the publication of the committee's report on the Early Years Single Funding Formula, Barry Sheerman MP said that there needed to be more funding focused on the early years of a child's life.
'This is the time to spend money on children for intensive support and help,' he said.
Asked whether introducing a system of funding for children from two to 11 would mean more money for private and voluntary providers in the early years, he said, 'I would have thought it would mean that everyone would get more money, regardless of the sector. It would prioritise the age that you get more support.'
In relation to the potential impact of the new Code of Practice towards forcing private and voluntary nurseries and pre-schools to pull out of offering the free entitlement, Mr Sheerman said, 'If any (Government) department saw the range and diversity (of provision) diminishing, they would have to look at the rate.
'The Government has got to set a rate and monitor it and be willing to revise it, if there are unintended consequences. No-one wants a catastrophic drop in settings. The Government has got to carefully monitor the situation.'
The committee's report also recommends that it be mandatory for local authorities to introduce a quality supplement, noting that members had been 'astonished' that so many local authorities had failed to take this up.
The supplement should be used to recognise high-quality provision - for example, for employing teachers and other well-qualified staff.
The committee said it was unacceptable that only around half of all councils had incorporated a supplement into the funding formula.
Mr Sheerman said, 'You've got to reward quality. Local authorities have got the ability to reward quality. When a high percentage (of settings) are not of high quality, there should be cause for concern.'
The Graduate Leader Fund must not be allowed to peter out, to continue the recruitment and retention of graduate level staff in early years settings, he said.