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<p>The Childcare Choices website brings together all the government’s childcare offers
into one place for the first time. It is the starting point for parents to find out
about what government support they might be entitled to. Since its launch in March
2017, the website has over 1 million unique visitors. Parents can follow a link from
Childcare Choices to the childcare service to apply for 30 hours free childcare and/or
Tax-Free Childcare. From Childcare Choices they can also use the Childcare Calculator
to work out which offer is best for them.</p><p> </p><p><em>Since the childcare service
was launched in April, over 216,000 30 hours eligibility codes were generated for
children who will be eligible for 30 hours free childcare in the autumn term, and
Tax-Free Childcare accounts have been opened for more than 155,000 children. Whilst
the majority of parents have applied with no issue, some parents have experienced
difficulties. HMRC have apologised to those parents and are working with National
Savings & Investments (and their supplier Atos) to make a range of improvements
to the childcare service. HMRC have arrangements in place to ensure that no parents
miss out financially as a result of these issues.</em></p><p> </p><p>In relation to
the numbers of childcare providers signed-up to deliver Tax-Free Childcare I refer
the honorable member to my response to Parliamentary Question (105541) on 16 October
2017.</p><p> </p><p>To date, 14% of successful applicants for Tax-Free Childcare are
self-employed or have a partner who is self-employed. These are people who would otherwise
not have acess to supported childcare.</p><p> </p><p>A study into the feasibility
of measuring the impact on the labour and childcare market impacts of Tax-Free Childcare
was published in February 2016 and can be found here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/feasibility-study-into-evaluating-the-labour-and-childcare-market-impacts-of-tax-free-childcare-and-the-free-early-education-entitlement"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/feasibility-study-into-evaluating-the-labour-and-childcare-market-impacts-of-tax-free-childcare-and-the-free-early-education-entitlement</a>.
The Government has committed to carry out a post-implementation review, two years
after the implementation of Tax-Free Childcare to evaluate the impact of the scheme,
including on the childcare market.</p><p> </p><p>The parent application, account and
helpline for Tax-Free Childcare are delivered by National Savings & Investments,
working their supplier Atos. The arrangements for performance management of National
Savings & Investments, including the performance of the childcare service, were
described in response to a Parliamentary Question (105683) on 16 October 2017.</p><p>
</p><p>The Director General for Transformation at HM Revenue & Customs, provided
information on compensation arrangements in a letter to the Chair of the Treasury
Select Committee on 4 October, found here:</p><p><a href="http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/treasury/Correspondence/2017-19/Correspondence-hmrc-taxfree-childcare-compensation-041017.pdf"
target="_blank">http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/treasury/Correspondence/2017-19/Correspondence-hmrc-taxfree-childcare-compensation-041017.pdf</a></p><p>
</p><p>As announced at Budget 2016, Employer Supported Childcare schemes will close
to new entrants from April 2018.</p>
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