Asked by: Kwasi Kwarteng (Conservative - Spelthorne)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of making childcare costs tax deductible.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government already offers a range of support for parents to help with childcare costs. Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) 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 up to age 11 and up to £4,000 per disabled child until they are 17. All three-and-four-year-olds can access 15 hours of free childcare per week, and working parents of three-and four-year-olds can access an additional 15 hours of free childcare per week. .Some parents can also access the disadvantaged two-year-old offer, which provides 15 hours of free childcare per week to two-year-olds who meet certain social and economic criteria. Universal Credit claimants can claim up to 85% of their childcare costs.
The Government keeps childcare policy under regular review.