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1487425

registered interest
date	07/07/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) forecast and (b) actual expenditure was for the tax free childcare scheme in 2021-22.
tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
uin	32591
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2022 answer text <p>The Government is committed to supporting families with their childcare costs through Tax-Free Childcare and we are continuing to encourage eligible families to sign up for it. Take-up of Tax-Free Childcare is on a steady upward trajectory and has continued to increase despite the covid-19 pandemic. At the end of March 2022 (the most recent data) an estimated 384,000 families used Tax-Free Childcare for 458,000 children, compared to 328,000 families for 384,000 children in December 2021. The Government spent £43 million on Tax-Free Childcare top-up for families in March 2022.</p><p> </p><p>Actual spend on Tax-Free Childcare in financial year 2021/22 was above forecast. At the Spring 2021 Budget, the forecast expenditure for Tax-Free Childcare in 2021/22 was £0.39bn. Tax-Free Childcare expenditure in 2021/22 was £0.41bn.</p><p> </p><p>Government spending on Tax-Free Childcare was below forecast for the financial years 2017/18 to 2020/21. When many childcare settings were closed in 2020 and 2021 due to the covid-19 pandemic, the Government brought easements into Tax-Free Childcare, 30 hours and Working Tax Credit childcare support offers, allowing parents to remain eligible for these offers despite potential changes to their circumstances due to covid-19.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also driving a renewed campaign – via the Childcare Choices website - so parents can access the support they are entitled to. This will also encourage providers to take the necessary steps to offer the full range of childcare support to parents.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke grouped question UIN 32592 question first answered 12/07/2022 16:44:48 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1487426

registered interest
date	07/07/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of how underspend on tax free childcare has been used in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
uin	32592
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2022 answer text <p>The Government is committed to supporting families with their childcare costs through Tax-Free Childcare and we are continuing to encourage eligible families to sign up for it. Take-up of Tax-Free Childcare is on a steady upward trajectory and has continued to increase despite the covid-19 pandemic. At the end of March 2022 (the most recent data) an estimated 384,000 families used Tax-Free Childcare for 458,000 children, compared to 328,000 families for 384,000 children in December 2021. The Government spent £43 million on Tax-Free Childcare top-up for families in March 2022.</p><p> </p><p>Actual spend on Tax-Free Childcare in financial year 2021/22 was above forecast. At the Spring 2021 Budget, the forecast expenditure for Tax-Free Childcare in 2021/22 was £0.39bn. Tax-Free Childcare expenditure in 2021/22 was £0.41bn.</p><p> </p><p>Government spending on Tax-Free Childcare was below forecast for the financial years 2017/18 to 2020/21. When many childcare settings were closed in 2020 and 2021 due to the covid-19 pandemic, the Government brought easements into Tax-Free Childcare, 30 hours and Working Tax Credit childcare support offers, allowing parents to remain eligible for these offers despite potential changes to their circumstances due to covid-19.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also driving a renewed campaign – via the Childcare Choices website - so parents can access the support they are entitled to. This will also encourage providers to take the necessary steps to offer the full range of childcare support to parents.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke grouped question UIN 32591 question first answered 12/07/2022 16:44:48 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1486178

registered interest
date	04/07/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing financial support via the Tax-Free Childcare scheme for parents in London in the context of the rise in the cost of childcare in London relative to other parts of England.
tabling member constituency	Ealing Central and Acton
tabling member printed	Dr Rupa Huq
uin	30075
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/07/2022 answer text <p>Tax Free Childcare provides financial support for working parents with their childcare costs. For every £8 parents pay into their childcare account, the government adds £2 up to a maximum of £2,000 in top up per year for each child aged up to 11, and up to £4,000 per disabled child until they’re 17.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, 15 hours of free childcare per week is available for all three- and four-year-olds regardless of circumstance and an additional 15 hours of free childcare per week is available for working parents of three- and four-year-olds. Some parents can also access the disadvantaged 2-year-old offer which gives 15 hours of free childcare per week to 2-year-olds who meet certain social and economic criteria. Universal Credit claimants are able to claim up to 85% of their childcare costs.</p><p> </p><p>As Tax-Free Childcare is a UK-wide offer, the level of financial support it provides has been set at the same level to avoid arbitrary cut-offs between different regions.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 11/07/2022 14:57:32 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
tabling member	4511 label Biography information for Dr Rupa Huq

1465091

registered interest
date	23/05/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of eligible parents take up tax free childcare.
tabling member constituency	Erith and Thamesmead
tabling member printed	Abena Oppong-Asare
uin	6944
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/05/2022 answer text <p>As a proportion of all families who were eligible for tax-free childcare (TFC) and had qualifying childcare, the estimated take-up rate in the UK in March 2022 was 30%, corresponding to 384,280 families. Across the 2021-22 year, 40% of eligible families (512,415) used TFC.</p><p> </p><p>Take-up of TFC varies by region, as shown below. Use of TFC tends to be greater in regions with higher populations, such as London and South East England. However, over 2021-22 the estimated take-up rate is highest in the South West of England at 49% and lowest in Scotland at 26%.</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Region/Country</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Estimated no. families eligible for TFC in 2021-22</strong> <strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>No users (and estimated % take up) in March 2022</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>No users (and estimated % take up) in 2021-22</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>United Kingdom</p></td><td><p>1,270,000</p></td><td><p>384,280 (30%)</p></td><td><p>512,415 (40%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>England</p></td><td><p>1,070,000</p></td><td><p>336,150 (31%)</p></td><td><p>450,395 (42%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>North East</p></td><td><p>40,000</p></td><td><p>13,040 (33%)</p></td><td><p>17,425 (44%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>North West</p></td><td><p>140,000</p></td><td><p>50,095 (36%)</p></td><td><p>65,620 (47%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Yorkshire and The Humber</p></td><td><p>100,000</p></td><td><p>33,605 (34%)</p></td><td><p>44,010 (44%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>East Midlands</p></td><td><p>90,000</p></td><td><p>30,915 (34%)</p></td><td><p>40,530 (45%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>West Midlands</p></td><td><p>100,000</p></td><td><p>33,695 (34%)</p></td><td><p>44,575 (45%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>East of England</p></td><td><p>140,000</p></td><td><p>37,755 (27%)</p></td><td><p>51,460 (37%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>London</p></td><td><p>170,000</p></td><td><p>39,220 (23%)</p></td><td><p>54,285 (32%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South East</p></td><td><p>200,000</p></td><td><p>61,265 (31%)</p></td><td><p>83,305 (42%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South West</p></td><td><p>100,000</p></td><td><p>36,555 (37%)</p></td><td><p>49,185 (49%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Wales</p></td><td><p>60,000</p></td><td><p>13,575 (23%)</p></td><td><p>17,825 (30%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Scotland</p></td><td><p>110,000</p></td><td><p>22,710 (21%)</p></td><td><p>29,110 (26%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Northern Ireland</p></td><td><p>30,000</p></td><td><p>9,070 (30%)</p></td><td><p>11,050 (37%)</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke grouped question UIN 6945 question first answered 26/05/2022 13:42:55 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
tabling member	4820 label Biography information for Abena Oppong-Asare

1465092

registered interest
date	23/05/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will provide a breakdown of the proportion of eligible households that take up tax free childcare in each (a) region and (b) nation of the UK.
tabling member constituency	Erith and Thamesmead
tabling member printed	Abena Oppong-Asare
uin	6945
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/05/2022 answer text <p>As a proportion of all families who were eligible for tax-free childcare (TFC) and had qualifying childcare, the estimated take-up rate in the UK in March 2022 was 30%, corresponding to 384,280 families. Across the 2021-22 year, 40% of eligible families (512,415) used TFC.</p><p> </p><p>Take-up of TFC varies by region, as shown below. Use of TFC tends to be greater in regions with higher populations, such as London and South East England. However, over 2021-22 the estimated take-up rate is highest in the South West of England at 49% and lowest in Scotland at 26%.</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Region/Country</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Estimated no. families eligible for TFC in 2021-22</strong> <strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>No users (and estimated % take up) in March 2022</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>No users (and estimated % take up) in 2021-22</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>United Kingdom</p></td><td><p>1,270,000</p></td><td><p>384,280 (30%)</p></td><td><p>512,415 (40%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>England</p></td><td><p>1,070,000</p></td><td><p>336,150 (31%)</p></td><td><p>450,395 (42%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>North East</p></td><td><p>40,000</p></td><td><p>13,040 (33%)</p></td><td><p>17,425 (44%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>North West</p></td><td><p>140,000</p></td><td><p>50,095 (36%)</p></td><td><p>65,620 (47%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Yorkshire and The Humber</p></td><td><p>100,000</p></td><td><p>33,605 (34%)</p></td><td><p>44,010 (44%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>East Midlands</p></td><td><p>90,000</p></td><td><p>30,915 (34%)</p></td><td><p>40,530 (45%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>West Midlands</p></td><td><p>100,000</p></td><td><p>33,695 (34%)</p></td><td><p>44,575 (45%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>East of England</p></td><td><p>140,000</p></td><td><p>37,755 (27%)</p></td><td><p>51,460 (37%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>London</p></td><td><p>170,000</p></td><td><p>39,220 (23%)</p></td><td><p>54,285 (32%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South East</p></td><td><p>200,000</p></td><td><p>61,265 (31%)</p></td><td><p>83,305 (42%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South West</p></td><td><p>100,000</p></td><td><p>36,555 (37%)</p></td><td><p>49,185 (49%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Wales</p></td><td><p>60,000</p></td><td><p>13,575 (23%)</p></td><td><p>17,825 (30%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Scotland</p></td><td><p>110,000</p></td><td><p>22,710 (21%)</p></td><td><p>29,110 (26%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Northern Ireland</p></td><td><p>30,000</p></td><td><p>9,070 (30%)</p></td><td><p>11,050 (37%)</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke grouped question UIN 6944 question first answered 26/05/2022 13:42:55 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
tabling member	4820 label Biography information for Abena Oppong-Asare

1457259

registered interest
date	14/04/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the rising cost of childcare and cost of living pressures facing working families, whether he has plans to increase the level of support available through the tax-free childcare scheme.
tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
tabling member printed	Carla Lockhart
uin	154514
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2022 answer text <p>Tax Free Childcare is a generous scheme which provides financial support for working parents with their childcare costs. For every £8 parents pay into their childcare account, the government adds £2 up to a maximum of £2,000 in top up per year for each child aged up to 11, and up to £4,000 per disabled child until they’re 17.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, all three- and four-year-olds can access 15 hours of free childcare per week, regardless of circumstance. Eligible working parents of three- and four-year-olds can also access an additional 15 hours of free childcare per week, also known as 30 hours free childcare. Moreover, Universal Credit (UC) claimants are able to claim up to 85% of their childcare costs.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government has no plans to change the amount of top-up provided through Tax-Free Childcare (TFC).</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 26/04/2022 13:11:30 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
tabling member	4857 label Biography information for Carla Lockhart

1457265

registered interest
date	14/04/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have been registered for the tax-free childcare scheme in each of the last three years.
tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
tabling member printed	Carla Lockhart
uin	154513
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2022 answer text <p>Statistics relating to Tax-Free Childcare account usage are published quarterly in “Tax-Free Childcare Statistics” on the gov.uk website. The latest publication, containing information up to December 2021 is here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tax-free-childcare-quarterly-statistics" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tax-free-childcare-quarterly-statistics</a></p><p> </p><p>Table 7 of the publication shows the number of families, by Government Office Region, that have a Tax-Free Childcare account. The table below shows the number of accounts that are open, regardless of whether or not they have been used.</p><p> </p><p>Families with Open Tax-Free Childcare accounts:</p><p><strong> </strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Region</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2018-19</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2019-20</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2020-21</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>United Kingdom</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>449,355</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>614,730</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>697,145</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>England</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>426,130</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>570,020</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>643,085</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>North East</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>18,200</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>24,100</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>27,340</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>North West</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>59,495</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>79,940</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>91,265</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Yorkshire and The Humber</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>40,750</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>54,815</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>62,420</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>East Midlands</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>38,215</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>51,335</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>58,095</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>West Midlands</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>43,220</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>57,910</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>65,300</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>East of England</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>50,140</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>67,130</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>75,605</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>London</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>54,550</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>73,230</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>79,730</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>South East</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>74,660</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>99,850</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>113,600</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>South West</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>46,900</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>61,705</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>69,735</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Wales</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>6,745</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>13,705</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>15,945</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Scotland</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>9,700</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>19,355</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>24,435</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Northern Ireland</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>3,240</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>6,645</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>8,805</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><strong> </strong> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 26/04/2022 13:16:53 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
tabling member	4857 label Biography information for Carla Lockhart

1457351

registered interest
date	14/04/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has plans to increase the Tax Free Child Care cap in response to the rising cost of childcare.
tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
uin	154366
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2022 answer text <p>The Government has no plans to increase the cap in Tax Free Childcare.</p><p> </p><p>Tax Free Childcare (TFC) is a generous scheme which provides financial support for working parents with their childcare costs. For every £8 parents pay into their childcare account, the Government adds £2 up to a maximum of £2,000 in top up per year for each child aged up to 11, and up to £4,000 per disabled child until they’re 17.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, all three- and four-year-olds can access 15 hours of free childcare per week, regardless of circumstance. Eligible working parents of three- and four-year-olds can also access an additional 15 hours of free childcare per week, also known as 30 hours free childcare. Moreover, Universal Credit (UC) claimants are able to claim up to 85% of their childcare costs.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 25/04/2022 13:22:17 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1451918

registered interest
date	16/03/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to increase the level of tax free childcare support available in the 2022 spring statement.
tabling member constituency	Belfast South
tabling member printed	Claire Hanna
uin	141324
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2022 answer text <p>TFC is a generous scheme which provides financial support for working parents with their childcare costs. For every £8 that parents pay into their childcare account, the government adds £2, up to a maximum of £2,000 in top up per year for each child aged up to 11, and up to £4,000 per disabled child until they are 17.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 23/03/2022 16:02:03 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
tabling member	4827 label Biography information for Claire Hanna

1423242

registered interest
date	18/02/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number and proportion of applications for thirty hours of free childcare for 3 and 4 year olds that were found to have been wrongly denied in 2020 - 2021.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Mick Whitley
uin	125503
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/02/2022 answer text <p>In 2021 HMRC overturned 750 decisions that parents were not eligible for 30 hours free childcare for 3 and 4-year-old children of working parents on review or appeal, out of 815,000 customer journeys. This represents 0.1% of all eligibility decisions being overturned.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 23/02/2022 16:07:54 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
tabling member	4755 label Biography information for Mick Whitley