July 6, 2014
The Japanese Communist Party members’ group of the Sendai City Assembly had the city retract a faulty draft ordinance to “support” young parents.
The city authorities submitted the bill to the assembly in June, which was in line with the state’s child-rearing support system to be implemented in April 2015.
The new system is intended to relieve the state of its responsibility for providing families raising children with good daycare services as well as to lower the current national childcare level. The city’s bill just quoted a relevant ordinance which the Welfare Ministry issued on April 30 this year.
In order to prevent the quality of public childcare services from deteriorating, the JCP assembly members’ group started to work out a counterproposal against the city’s measure. In that process, they found several serious errors in the ministerial ordinance cited by the bill.
JCP assemblyperson Hanaki Noriaki pointed out at a health and welfare committee meeting in the assembly that the quoted ordinance has some grave mistakes such as getting mixed up with an unrelated ministry order. He claimed that the authorities should withdraw the bill without delay.
As the city refused to retract the measure, other political groups along with the JCP raised voices in protest, saying, “The city government is belittling the assembly.” On June 26, the last day of the ordinary session, the city retracted its proposal.
The Kahoku Shimpo, a local paper in Miyagi Prefecture, noted on June 27 that if the JCP lawmakers had not taken up the issue, the authorities would have covered up those mistakes.
Hanaki stressed, “It’s obviously wrong that a local government follows the central government blindly. The city should promote independent efforts to improve its childcare assistance measures.”
Past related article:
> Use of unlicensed help will reduce quality of childcare services: JCP Tamura [April 9 & 15, 2014]
The city authorities submitted the bill to the assembly in June, which was in line with the state’s child-rearing support system to be implemented in April 2015.
The new system is intended to relieve the state of its responsibility for providing families raising children with good daycare services as well as to lower the current national childcare level. The city’s bill just quoted a relevant ordinance which the Welfare Ministry issued on April 30 this year.
In order to prevent the quality of public childcare services from deteriorating, the JCP assembly members’ group started to work out a counterproposal against the city’s measure. In that process, they found several serious errors in the ministerial ordinance cited by the bill.
JCP assemblyperson Hanaki Noriaki pointed out at a health and welfare committee meeting in the assembly that the quoted ordinance has some grave mistakes such as getting mixed up with an unrelated ministry order. He claimed that the authorities should withdraw the bill without delay.
As the city refused to retract the measure, other political groups along with the JCP raised voices in protest, saying, “The city government is belittling the assembly.” On June 26, the last day of the ordinary session, the city retracted its proposal.
The Kahoku Shimpo, a local paper in Miyagi Prefecture, noted on June 27 that if the JCP lawmakers had not taken up the issue, the authorities would have covered up those mistakes.
Hanaki stressed, “It’s obviously wrong that a local government follows the central government blindly. The city should promote independent efforts to improve its childcare assistance measures.”
Past related article:
> Use of unlicensed help will reduce quality of childcare services: JCP Tamura [April 9 & 15, 2014]
