Minister says service wives could get more help for childcare

Ms Harman, who is also equalities minister, spoke to spouses of service personnel at Faslane naval base yesterday about the problems of frequently moving around. Childcare costs was one of the biggest concerns for mothers, she said.

"Often their husbands are away for many months at a time and they don't get help the same sort of help with childcare that other families have. They live like lone parents but they don't get the support that lone parents receive," she told The Scotsman.

"Kevin Jones (the defence minister] and I are thinking about how we can make sure they get the support they need.

"Because they have to move at short notice with their husbands and are miles from relatives and in-laws, the wives are holding those families together on their own, therefore extra support is needed and childcare tax credits is one area we are actively considering."

Service families are often caught out by the tax credit system because of the fluctuation in their wages depending on whether they are serving abroad, are stationed at home or are taking part in training.

The proposals are tipped to be part of a Families Green Paper to be unveiled next Wednesday.

Ms Harman said she also found it interesting to speak to submariners, mariners and their families at Faslane.

"The submariners can be under the water for three or four months at a time. The wives are only in contact with them once a week and it is an inward coming message of no more than 40 words. They can't post any reply back."

Ms Harman said she intended to keep in touch with the families through Twitter. "If they communicate with their husbands with 40 words or less, Twitter should not pose a challenge. We will all keep in touch," she said.

The government launched a range of policies last November to try to help families access better childcare, jobs, benefits and school places. Service families' nomadic lifestyle means they often miss out on employment and school places.