Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of increases to employer national insurance contributions on the average staffing costs for each nursery.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
It is the government’s ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life. This is key to the government’s Plan for Change, which starts with reaching the milestone of a record number of children being ready for school. That also means ensuring the sector is financially sustainable and confident as it continues to deliver entitlements and high-quality early years provision going forward.
That is why, despite tough decisions to get our public finances back on track, the government is continuing to prioritise and invest, supporting early education and childcare providers with the costs they face.
In the 2025/26 financial year alone, the department plans to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements. We have also announced the largest ever uplift to the early years pupil premium, increasing the rate by over 45% compared to the 2024/25 financial year, equivalent to up to £570 per eligible child per year.
On top of this we are providing further supplementary funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant to support the sector as they prepare to deliver the final phase of expanded childcare entitlements from September 2025, recognising the significant level of expansion needed and the effort and planning this will require. We are also providing £25 million of funding to support public sector employers with increased national insurance contributions (NICs) through the early years NICs grant.
As we continue to roll out the new entitlements, we will keep the funding process under review to ensure that early years funding is distributed fairly and efficiently.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of exempting nurseries from increases to employers' National Insurance contributions.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
It is the government’s ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life. This is key to the government’s Plan for Change, which starts with reaching the milestone of a record number of children being ready for school. That also means ensuring the sector is financially sustainable and confident as it continues to deliver entitlements and high-quality early years provision going forward.
That is why, despite tough decisions to get our public finances back on track, the government is continuing to prioritise and invest, supporting early education and childcare providers with the costs they face.
In the 2025/26 financial year alone, the department plans to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements. We have also announced the largest ever uplift to the early years pupil premium, increasing the rate by over 45% compared to the 2024/25 financial year, equivalent to up to £570 per eligible child per year.
On top of this we are providing further supplementary funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant to support the sector as they prepare to deliver the final phase of expanded childcare entitlements from September 2025, recognising the significant level of expansion needed and the effort and planning this will require. We are also providing £25 million of funding to support public sector employers with increased national insurance contributions (NICs) through the early years NICs grant.
As we continue to roll out the new entitlements, we will keep the funding process under review to ensure that early years funding is distributed fairly and efficiently.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of increases in employer national insurance contributions on the number of nurseries.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
It is the government’s ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life. This is key to the government’s Plan for Change, which starts with reaching the milestone of a record number of children being ready for school. That also means ensuring the sector is financially sustainable and confident as it continues to deliver entitlements and high-quality early years provision going forward.
That is why, despite tough decisions to get our public finances back on track, the government is continuing to prioritise and invest, supporting early education and childcare providers with the costs they face.
In the 2025/26 financial year alone, the department plans to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements. We have also announced the largest ever uplift to the early years pupil premium, increasing the rate by over 45% compared to the 2024/25 financial year, equivalent to up to £570 per eligible child per year.
On top of this we are providing further supplementary funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant to support the sector as they prepare to deliver the final phase of expanded childcare entitlements from September 2025, recognising the significant level of expansion needed and the effort and planning this will require. We are also providing £25 million of funding to support public sector employers with increased national insurance contributions (NICs) through the early years NICs grant.
As we continue to roll out the new entitlements, we will keep the funding process under review to ensure that early years funding is distributed fairly and efficiently.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the funding model for nurseries.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
It is the government’s ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life. This is key to the government’s Plan for Change, which starts with reaching the milestone of a record number of children being ready for school. That also means ensuring the sector is financially sustainable and confident as it continues to deliver entitlements and high-quality early years provision going forward.
That is why, despite tough decisions to get our public finances back on track, the government is continuing to prioritise and invest, supporting early education and childcare providers with the costs they face.
In the 2025/26 financial year alone, the department plans to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements. We have also announced the largest ever uplift to the early years pupil premium, increasing the rate by over 45% compared to the 2024/25 financial year, equivalent to up to £570 per eligible child per year.
On top of this we are providing further supplementary funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant to support the sector as they prepare to deliver the final phase of expanded childcare entitlements from September 2025, recognising the significant level of expansion needed and the effort and planning this will require. We are also providing £25 million of funding to support public sector employers with increased national insurance contributions (NICs) through the early years NICs grant.
As we continue to roll out the new entitlements, we will keep the funding process under review to ensure that early years funding is distributed fairly and efficiently.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department, via the Government Property Agency as its asset manager, leases a total of thirteen sites, in multi-tenanted buildings, for use by its staff. There is no requirement for staff to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person. All the department’s arm length bodies, bar those classed as Executive Agencies, manage their own respective estates. They have advised that they do not require staff to book a desk in advance in order to attend any of their offices.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2024 to Question 9069 on Department for Education: Ministers' Private Offices, if she will publish the invoice for the new chairs.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Due to commercial sensitivity, it is against departmental policy to publish invoices.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many civil servants are assigned to work in each of her Department's offices; and how many desks are available in each office.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The table below uses September’s HR workforce data, and includes all staff.
Site Name | Location | Capacity (desk only) | September HR Staff Data |
3 Glass Wharf (Bristol) | Bristol | 122 | 351 |
Eastbrook House (Cambridge) | Cambridge | 40 | 49 |
Cheylesmore House (Coventry) | Coventry | 694 | 1089 |
Trafalgar House (Croydon) | Croydon | 40 | 53 |
Bishopsgate House (Darlington) | Darlington | 323 | 674 |
7/8 Wellington Place (Leeds) | Leeds | 48 | 130 |
Sanctuary Buildings (London) | London - Sanctuary Buildings | 940 | 2080 |
Piccadilly Gate (Manchester) | Manchester | 480 | 1136 |
Newcastle Civic Centre (Newcastle) | Newcastle | 51 | 142 |
Unity Square (Nottingham) | Nottingham | 120 | 365 |
St Paul's Place (Sheffield) | Sheffield | 767 | 1447 |
Clarendon Road (Watford) | Watford | 24 | 44 |
Total | 14 | 3649 | 7560 |
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2024 to Question 9068 on Department for Education: Buildings, how many civil servants are assigned to work in her Department's headquarters in London; and how many individual desks are available in that office.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Bridgewater to the answer of 20 November 2024 to Question 9067.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2024 to Question 9068 on Department for Education: Buildings, how many individual desks were occupied in her Department’s headquarters office in the most recent four weeks for which figures are available.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Heads of department have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Office occupancy data for the period July to September has been published, with further publications to happen on a quarterly basis. The data is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much was spent on (a) new furniture and fittings and (b) other refurbishment of Ministerial offices in her Department since the dissolution of the last Parliament; and on what items this was spent.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Since the dissolution of the last Parliament, the only purchase relating to Ministerial furniture was at a cost of £1,627.50. This spend incorporates:
• Low back, full upholstered meeting chair – Quantity 3.
There have been some modifications to the offices to facilitate additional flexibility in set up and use of the Ministerial rooms. This has been at a cost of £12,886.71. This spend incorporates:
• Relocation of floor boxes including raising access floor.
• Supply and install of cabling, sockets, data plates and residual current devices.
• Standard Liability cover.
• Labour.
• Out of hours working.