Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much of the spending on the Early Learning for 2 year olds scheme is accounted for by (a) families entitled via eligibility for certain benefits (b) families entitled because the child has an Education, Health and Care Plan, and (c) families who meet both criteria.
Answered by Olivia Bailey
The latest dedicated schools grant allocations for the early years entitlements over the past five years can be found here: https://skillsfunding.service.gov.uk/view-latest-funding/.
The 3 and 4-year-old working parent entitlement, the 2-year-old working parent entitlement, and the under 2s working parent entitlement are only available to working parents who meet the eligibility criteria. For the universal 3 and 4-year-old entitlement and the early learning for 2-year-olds entitlement, the government has never collected data on whether or not parents who claim these entitlements are in work.
The latest January 2026 statistics relating to funded early education and childcare were published on 2 July 2026 here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/funded-early-education-and-childcare/2026.
These statistics contain headcount level figures on the number of children registered for early-learning for 2-year-olds by basis for funding as well as figures on the number of children registered for the various entitlement types.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the level of spending was on the 15 hours free childcare offer in each of the last five financial years for which data is available, broken down by a. working and b. non-working parents.
Answered by Olivia Bailey
The latest dedicated schools grant allocations for the early years entitlements over the past five years can be found here: https://skillsfunding.service.gov.uk/view-latest-funding/.
The 3 and 4-year-old working parent entitlement, the 2-year-old working parent entitlement, and the under 2s working parent entitlement are only available to working parents who meet the eligibility criteria. For the universal 3 and 4-year-old entitlement and the early learning for 2-year-olds entitlement, the government has never collected data on whether or not parents who claim these entitlements are in work.
The latest January 2026 statistics relating to funded early education and childcare were published on 2 July 2026 here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/funded-early-education-and-childcare/2026.
These statistics contain headcount level figures on the number of children registered for early-learning for 2-year-olds by basis for funding as well as figures on the number of children registered for the various entitlement types.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much was spent on the Early Learning for 2 year olds scheme in each of the last five financial years for which data is available.
Answered by Olivia Bailey
The latest dedicated schools grant allocations for the early years entitlements over the past five years can be found here: https://skillsfunding.service.gov.uk/view-latest-funding/.
The 3 and 4-year-old working parent entitlement, the 2-year-old working parent entitlement, and the under 2s working parent entitlement are only available to working parents who meet the eligibility criteria. For the universal 3 and 4-year-old entitlement and the early learning for 2-year-olds entitlement, the government has never collected data on whether or not parents who claim these entitlements are in work.
The latest January 2026 statistics relating to funded early education and childcare were published on 2 July 2026 here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/funded-early-education-and-childcare/2026.
These statistics contain headcount level figures on the number of children registered for early-learning for 2-year-olds by basis for funding as well as figures on the number of children registered for the various entitlement types.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of whether spending proposals from government departments could be delivered by the private sector.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Departments are responsible for setting out and considering different delivery mechanisms as part of the Business Case process, in line with the appraisal methodology set out in the Green Book.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants were deemed LCWRA via the substantial risk provisions in each of the last 15 financial years expressed in (a) numerical terms and (b) as a proportion of the caseload.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The available requested information for Universal Credit (UC) limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA) Work Capability Assessment (WCA) decisions where claimants qualified for LCWRA due to 'substantial risk arising from work-related activity' is provided in the table below.
Financial Year | Volume of UC LCWRA Substantial Risk decisions | Total volume of UC LCWRA decisions | Proportion |
2019/20 | 81,240 | 246,040 | 33% |
2020/21 | 52,990 | 186,250 | 28% |
2021/22 | 55,780 | 273,180 | 20% |
2022/23 | 48,870 | 327,230 | 15% |
2023/24 | 56,130 | 357,190 | 16% |
2024/25 | 53,670 | 397,370 | 14% |
2025/26 (to Nov 25) | 26,280 | 229,020 | 11% |
Information prior to April 2019 is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Information on UC WCA decisions and on UC LWCRA caseload is published and can be found on Stat-Xplore.
For time periods prior to the introduction of UC, information on ESA WCA decisions broken down by reason for allocation (including substantial risk) can also be found on Stat-Xplore.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Oral Statement of 21 May 2026 on Middle East: Economic Response, what estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of each of the policy measures on the level of tax receipts to the Exchequer.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
The Chancellor set out a package of measures on 21 May to support families and businesses. Final costings for all measures will be published at the next Budget following certification from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) in the usual way.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the decision to reduce the maximum UC deduction rate on a) public sector net borrowing, b) public sector net debt, c) public sector net cash requirement, d) annually managed expenditure and e) total managed expenditure in each financial year for which data are available.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Department has considered the potential fiscal impacts of the decision to reduce the maximum Universal Credit deduction rate.
(a) No separate assessment has identified an impact on public sector net borrowing, as any effects are already reflected in the Government’s existing fiscal forecasts.
(b) and c) Please see paragraph 5.134 on page 138 in this link for published information:
(d) No additional impact has been quantified on Annually Managed Expenditure.
(e) No additional impact has been quantified on Total Managed Expenditure.
The Fair Repayment Rate was announced in the 2024 Autumn Budget, and reduced deductions from Universal Credit from 25% to 15%. This measure helped around 1.2 million Universal Credit households with deductions retain more of their Universal Credit award, on average £420 a year, supporting the Government’s wider objectives to raise living standards, reduce poverty, and respond to ongoing cost‑of‑living pressures.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average estimated cost is of providing a PIP assessment (a) by telephone, (b) by video call and (c) face to face.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
PIP assessment costs are managed and recorded at an overall Functional Assessment Service level rather than by specific assessment types or benefits, and as such the department does not hold this information.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the decision to reduce the maximum UC deduction rate on a) public sector net borrowing, b) public sector net debt, c) public sector net cash requirement, d) annually managed expenditure and e) total managed expenditure in each financial year for which data are available.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what number of universal credit households in the most recent quarter for which data is available were subject to a deduction; and what proportion of these households were subject to the maximum percentage reduction of 15%.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The requested information can be found in the published Universal Credit deductions statistics, December 2024 to November 2025, supplementary data Table1 and Table2, available here: Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 8 January 2026 - GOV.UK.
The next release of these statistics is on Tuesday 12 May 2026, Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 12 February 2026 - Official statistics announcement - GOV.UK
Further release dates are published here: universal credit - Research and statistics - GOV.UK