A Government proposal to pay grandparents for caring for their grandchildren so parents could go out to work or training has been given a mixed reception by early years organisations. The proposal, floated last week by the Department for Work and Pensions (DfWP), has been attributed to Alastair Darling, work and pensions secretary. However, a DfWP spokeswoman has sought to play down the issue, describing newspaper coverage as 'premature and speculative'.