PUBLICATION this week of a 135-page study of childcare needs showed what most islanders already knew: there is a chronic shortage of affordable help to look after youngsters and that the States should be doing far more to help.

Yet while the report was stating the obvious, at least the understanding that most had is now properly researched and documented – and the situation is actually worse than anticipated.

Some 60% of all households believe government ought to be doing more to help, a majority, especially with children under the age of 16, believe childcare is beneficial for their offspring, and the consequences of inadequate provision actually damage Guernsey’s economy.

More than that, households with an income of less than £30,000 a year are financially barred from paying for care because of the high cost while they are the families who would most benefit from mum or dad working or putting in some extra hours.

This isn’t new. The States have known for years that there was a significant problem – including that of relative poverty, on which this also impinges – but chose to ignore it because departments felt they had sexier things on which to spend taxpayers’ money.

There was also a level of hypocrisy in this with the Health and Social Services Department lavishing public funds on providing care places for its own staff, thus recognising that there was a problem, while the rest of government’s actions said that there was not.

However, the scale of the issue is now in the open and Education appears to have a plan in that States-run places are now on the cards.

Yet while action is as welcome as it is overdue, the prospect of civil servants running nursery care is alarming.

It is also out of step with the financial transformation programme, which seeks to ensure that departments are only engaged in delivering essential services that cannot or should not be provided by the private sector.

Government has an urgent role to play in helping families in this important area – but it should not be competing with the private sector.