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1308058

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of providing 15 hours free childcare for three and four year olds to people who are out of work on the ability of unemployed people with children to find work; and what comparative assessment he has made of the effect of (a) that policy and (b) the provision of 30 hours free childcare for people who are in work on levels of educational attainment of the children of households with (i) higher and (ii) lower rates of unemployment.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
uin	179347
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>The department offers universal 15 hours free childcare to all three- and four-year-olds in England for 38 weeks per year, regardless of parental income or employment status. The purpose of this entitlement is to provide free, high-quality early education, helping children to develop social skills and preparing them for school, with 93% of three- and four-year-olds benefitting in January 2020. 15 hours free childcare is also available for disadvantaged two-year-olds, including those from low-income households or those with special education needs or disabilities. In January 2020, approximately 143,000 children benefitted from this entitlement.</p><p>As the 15 hours policy was introduced with the primary aim of improving children’s outcomes, no evaluation has been undertaken of the impact of this policy on the ability of unemployed people with children to find work.</p><p>The 30 hours free childcare policy was introduced in September 2017 and is an entitlement for working parents of three- and four-year-olds, benefitting around 345,700 children in January 2020. It aims to help working parents with the costs of childcare so they can take up paid work if they want to or can work additional hours. To be eligible, parents must earn the equivalent of 16 hours a week at national minimum wage and less than £100,000 per year.</p><p>The evaluation of the national rollout of 30 hours free childcare, published in 2018, found that 27% of those using 30 hours at the time reported they were working more hours as a result of the policy. Further detail is available in the report here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/30-hours-free-childcare-final-evaluation-of-the-national-rollout" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/30-hours-free-childcare-final-evaluation-of-the-national-rollout</a>.</p><p>The government is tracking the impact of early education on children’s outcomes via the Study of Early Education and Development (SEED). There is mixed evidence from SEED on how the number of childcare hours used by children at ages three to four impacts their educational attainment. There is no clear evidence of an optimal number of hours for child development as the type of setting used, the quality of the setting, the starting age in childcare and the child’s home learning environment are also important factors influencing the child’s educational development.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 20/04/2021 10:01:36 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1302232

registered interest
date	12/03/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of the 30 hours free childcare policy on the number of nurseries in England.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
uin	167965
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/03/2021 answer text <p>The 30 hours free childcare policy was introduced in September 2017 and is an entitlement for working parents of 3 year olds and 4 year olds. It aims to help working parents with the costs of childcare so they can take up paid work if they want to or can work additional hours.</p><p>Approximately 345,000 children were in a 30 hours place in January 2020. The Survey of Childcare and Early Years Providers 2019 showed that the majority of providers with children aged 3 to 4 registered at their setting at the time of the survey were offering 30 hours (90% of group-based providers, 70% of school-based providers and 80% of childminders).</p><p>The number of providers offering childcare on non-domestic premises, which includes nurseries, on the Early Years Register (EYR) has seen a small reduction of 5% from 31 August 2015 to 31 August 2020.</p><p>On 31 August 2020, there were 1.3 million childcare places offered by providers on the EYR, including nurseries and those on domestic premises such as childminders. There is no noticeable change in this trend around 2017, when the 30 hours policy was introduced.</p><p>Ofsted data indicates that, despite around 14,500 providers having closed between March 2015 and March 2020, there are approximately 15,400 more childcare places, with the majority of closed providers being childminders.</p><p>The evaluation of the first year of the national roll-out of 30 hours of free childcare found that provision expanded among providers delivering the extended hours through increased occupancy and higher use of staff. There was no evidence of any immediate adverse effect on other funded or paid provision. It also found that a high proportion (76%) of providers delivering the funded entitlement were willing and able to offer the extended hours.</p><p>Local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure sufficient childcare places in their area for all children, including children benefitting from any of the department’s free early education entitlements.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 17/03/2021 10:26:07 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1301320

registered interest
date	10/03/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps are being taken by (a) his Department and (b) local education authorities to help ensure that (i) will be (A) sufficient, (B) affordable and (C) local full-time holiday childcare provision for people working in frontline and key services and (ii) working people on lower incomes are prioritised above those not working and able to provide childcare from home during the Easter 2021 and summer 2021 school holidays.
tabling member constituency	Bexhill and Battle
tabling member printed	Huw Merriman
uin	166482
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/03/2021 answer text <p>Ensuring working parents and carers have access to the childcare they need remains a priority for the government. That is why we ensured that all before and after-school clubs, holiday clubs, and other out-of-school settings were able to continue to stay open for children eligible to attend school on-site, for the duration of the national lockdown, i.e. for critical worker children, where the provision was reasonably necessary to support them to work, undertake education or access medical care, and for vulnerable children and young people. For this reason, we have also extended the eligibility for attendance as of 8 March, in line with the wider reopening of schools on 8 March, with all parents now able to access this provision for their children for certain essential purposes, including those outlined above, with vulnerable children and young people able to continue accessing provision under any circumstance.</p><p>As set out in the ‘COVID-19 Response – Spring 2021’ guidance, from 29 March, in line with the Easter school holidays, out-of-school settings and wraparound childcare providers will also be able to offer outdoor provision to all children, without any restrictions on the purposes for which they may attend. The guidance can be accessed here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-spring-2021" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-spring-2021</a>. Indoor provision will also be available regardless of circumstance to vulnerable children and young people, as well as children eligible for free school meals, where they are attending as part of the Department for Education’s Holiday Activities and Food programme. Other children will continue to be able to access indoor provision, where the provision is necessary for certain essential purposes, as already mentioned. We have updated our protective measures guidance for the sector, which outlines eligibility and aims to support providers to allow them to open for as many children as safely as possible. This guidance can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-measures-for-holiday-or-after-school-clubs-and-other-out-of-school-settings-for-children-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-measures-for-holiday-or-after-school-clubs-and-other-out-of-school-settings-for-children-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak</a>.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to this, we have also ensured that there are several other ways that parents and carers can continue to access the childcare they need. This includes:</p><ul><li>Childminders, which remain open for children in early years, children of critical workers and vulnerable children and young people.</li><li>Nannies, which are still able to continue to provide services, including in the home.</li><li>Parents are also able to form a childcare bubble with one other household for the purposes of informal childcare, where the child is under the age of 14.</li><li>​Some households will also be able to benefit from being in a support bubble, which allows single adult households to join another household.</li></ul><p> </p><p>We have also encouraged all local authorities to consider using local grants made available to them by government to help bolster this part of the childcare sector in their areas, to safeguard sufficient childcare provision. This includes the £594 million discretionary fund for councils and the devolved administrations to support local businesses that may not have been eligible for other support during the current national lockdown, as well as funding streams such as the Holiday Activities and Food Programme, aimed to support disadvantaged children. The expanded programme, which comprises a £220 million fund to be delivered through grants to local authorities, will be expanded to reach all local authority areas during the upcoming Easter, summer, and Christmas holidays this year.</p><p>However, where parents are still finding it difficult to access sufficient childcare, we recommend that they contact their local authority’s family information services. Local authorities are required by legislation to secure sufficient free early years provision and paid-for childcare places, so far as is reasonably practicable, for working parents, or parents who are studying or training for employment, for children aged 0 to 14.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 15/03/2021 12:26:31 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4442 label Biography information for Huw Merriman

1296903

registered interest
date	02/03/2021
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 recent estimate he has made of the amount of unspent (a) childcare vouchers and (b) money in tax-free childcare accounts.
tabling member constituency	Kingston and Surbiton
tabling member printed	Ed Davey
uin	161669
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2021 answer text <p>We do not publish data on the amount of unspent childcare vouchers or money in Tax-Free Childcare accounts. Data on the number of unspent childcare vouchers would rest with each individual provider. However, I recognise that the number of parents with unspent childcare vouchers has increased as a result of the pandemic.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is continuing to work with the childcare sector in order to understand how to best support them to ensure that safe, appropriate and affordable childcare is available for those returning to work now, and for all families who need it in the longer term.</p><p> </p><p>Parents with Childcare Vouchers they do not need can seek to get a refund from their employer. However, whether the refund is possible depends on the contract between the voucher provider, employee and employer. Any amounts refunded would also be subject to the appropriate tax and NICs deductions.</p><p> </p><p>Childcare Vouchers are now closed to new entrants. They have been replaced with Tax-Free Childcare (TFC). TFC is fairer as it makes access to childcare support available to more working families, including the self-employed and those working for employers who don’t offer vouchers. Lone parent households also receive the same support as those with more than one parent, unlike Childcare Vouchers where support is allocated per working parent. In addition, parents can withdraw the money they have paid in at any time, with the top-up going back to the Government.</p> answering member constituency North East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Steve Barclay question first answered 08/03/2021 11:14:31 answering member 4095 label Biography information for Steve Barclay
tabling member	188 label Biography information for Ed Davey

1293613

registered interest
date	01/03/2021
answering body	Women and Equalities
answering dept id	31
answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding tailored financial support for the wraparound holiday childcare sector to ensure women have adequate childcare support.
tabling member constituency	Oxford West and Abingdon
tabling member printed	Layla Moran
uin	160780
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2021 answer text <p>I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to PQs <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2021-02-01/147072" target="_blank">147072</a> and <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2021-02-03/148867" target="_blank">148867</a> answered on 22 February 2021.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 04/03/2021 14:18:05 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
tabling member	4656 label Biography information for Layla Moran

1287527

registered interest
date	19/02/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the 30 hours of free childcare a week to full-time graduate students.
tabling member constituency	St Albans
tabling member printed	Daisy Cooper
uin	155406
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2021 answer text <p>30 hours free childcare is an entitlement for working parents of three and four-year-olds. It aims to help working parents with the costs of childcare so they can take up paid work if they want to or can work additional hours.</p><p>The Childcare Bill policy statement, published in December 2015, is clear that students will not qualify for 30 hours free childcare. However, students who undertake paid work in addition to their studies and meet the income requirements will be eligible for the additional hours. This means they do not have to physically work 16 hours a week but need to earn the equivalent of a week of 16 hours at national minimum wage or national living wage (currently just over £7,250 a year).</p><p>Students with children aged three and four will qualify for the universal 15 hours free childcare entitlement in England, regardless of the income or employment status of the parent, allowing them to access 15 hours per week of high-quality early education for their child.</p><p>Those undertaking a master’s degree are able to apply for a postgraduate master’s loan of up to £11,222 for help with course fees and living costs, which may include childcare.</p><p>Students starting a doctoral degree on or after 1 August 2020, can apply for a postgraduate doctoral loan of up to £26,445 which can also help with course fees and living costs, including childcare.</p><p>In cases where full-time students have additional needs that are not met through the student support system, support already available to them from their education institutions, they may be able to apply for help through Universal Credit. It remains the case that to be eligible for 85% reimbursement of childcare costs through Universal Credit Childcare a claimant must be in employment.</p><p>Further details on claiming Universal Credit, and Universal Credit Childcare, as a student can be found on GOV.UK at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/universal-credit-and-students" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/universal-credit-and-students</a>.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 25/02/2021 17:42:34 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4769 label Biography information for Daisy Cooper

1284307

registered interest
date	05/02/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending 15 hours of free childcare to one-year olds.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	149724
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/02/2021 answer text <p>All three and four-year-olds are entitled to 15 hours of free childcare each week, providing children with high-quality early education and helping parents to return to work. The government currently has no plans to extend these schemes.</p><p>A small number of two-year-olds are also able to access up to 15 hours of free childcare each week. The core purpose of the two-year-old entitlement is to provide a developmental boost to disadvantaged children from low-income families who are less likely to use formal childcare, but who stand to benefit from it the most. Whilst the entitlement provides some practical support with the cost of childcare, this is not its purpose, with the primary focus of the entitlement remaining improving outcomes for children.</p><p>The 2012 effective pre-school, primary and secondary education study in England and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development analysis of international Programme for International Student Assessment data both found no additional child development benefits of starting in childcare under the age of two.</p><p>In addition to the free early education entitlements, the government offers tax-free childcare for children from 0 to 11 years old, or up to 16 if disabled. This scheme means that for every £8 parents pay their provider via an online account, the government will pay £2, up to a maximum contribution of £2,000 per child each year, or £4,000 if disabled.</p><p>Working parents on a low income may also be eligible for help with up to 85% of their childcare costs through Universal Credit childcare. This is subject to a monthly limit of £646 for one child or £1108 for two or more children, payable in arrears.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 15/02/2021 10:37:30 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1282612

registered interest
date	01/02/2021
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will have discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Education on the potential merits of providing financial support to the wraparound childcare sector during the covid-19 outbreak to tackle childhood obesity.
tabling member constituency	Streatham
tabling member printed	Bell Ribeiro-Addy
uin	147069
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2021 answer text <p>Officials at the Department for Health and Social Care have regular discussions with colleagues in Her Majesty's Treasury and the Department for Education on delivering the measures set out in ‘Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives’ to help achieve our ambition to halve childhood obesity by 2030.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 10/02/2021 11:44:25 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4764 label Biography information for Bell Ribeiro-Addy

1282613

registered interest
date	01/02/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the role of the wraparound childcare sector in supporting children’s mental health during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Streatham
tabling member printed	Bell Ribeiro-Addy
uin	147070
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2021 answer text <p>The government recognises the vital importance of supporting the mental health of children and young people, particularly throughout the COVID-19 outbreak. In September 2020, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) launched its £8 million Wellbeing for Education Return programme. It has supported education staff to respond to the emotional and mental health pressures some children and young people may be feeling as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. In addition, DHSC also launched a campaign in September through the Every Mind Matters website to raise awareness of the guidance and tools available to support children and young people’s mental wellbeing. Public Health England continues to update and promote the Every Mind Matters website. The government has also provided over £10 million of additional funding to mental health charities to support adults and children.</p><p>We also recognise the value the wraparound childcare sector offers in this regard, in terms of supporting children and young people’s general wellbeing and the positive effects it can have on their mental health through the enriching social opportunities they provide.</p><p>Given the valuable support this sector can provide, the government has therefore ensured that before and after-school clubs, holiday clubs and other out-of-school settings have been able to stay open for all children eligible to attend school on-site, and during the national lockdown for vulnerable children and young people, as well as the children of critical workers. We have also published protective measures guidance for the sector, to ensure they can offer this provision as safely as possible, which can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-measures-for-holiday-or-after-school-clubs-and-other-out-of-school-settings-for-children-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-measures-for-holiday-or-after-school-clubs-and-other-out-of-school-settings-for-children-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak</a>.</p><p>We have also made clear that schools should be continuing to offer before and after-school provision for those pupils eligible to attend for on-site provision, where it is feasible for them to do so, given the importance of this provision for supporting parents to work, and providing enriching activities for children that improve their wellbeing and support their education. We have provided guidance for schools to support them to resume this provision. A copy of the guidance can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak#types-of-setting" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak#types-of-setting</a>.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 09/02/2021 16:58:56 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4764 label Biography information for Bell Ribeiro-Addy

1282614

registered interest
date	01/02/2021
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the role of the wraparound childcare sector in supporting mental health among parents.
tabling member constituency	Streatham
tabling member printed	Bell Ribeiro-Addy
uin	147071
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2021 answer text <p>No such assessment has been made.</p> answering member constituency Mid Bedfordshire answering member printed Ms Nadine Dorries question first answered 10/02/2021 17:49:42 answering member 1481 label Biography information for Ms Nadine Dorries
tabling member	4764 label Biography information for Bell Ribeiro-Addy