Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of early years professionals required in each region in each of the next five years.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
To meet the additional demand placed on the childcare sector by expanding government funded entitlements to childcare, the department estimates that around 35,000 additional staff (headcount) nationally are needed above the 31 December 2023 baseline for autumn 2025. This represents approximately a 10% increase.
We have seen a strong response from the sector so far. 2023 to 2024 saw around 20,000 more staff working in early years nationally, over 1.5 times the level of growth seen between 2022 to 2023.
Responsibility for ongoing market sufficiency rests with local authorities, who are required by legislation to provide sufficient childcare places for children in their local area. We are in regular contact with each local authority, and have a delivery support contractor, Childcare Works, in place to support them, including with analysing workforce demand in their area.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many early years teachers there are in each region.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not hold data on staff qualification levels by region.
In 2024, 42% of staff within school-based providers and 11% of staff within group-based providers held graduate-level qualifications, as per the 2024 Early Years Provider Survey.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of raising the retirement age of reservists from 60 to 65.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
I am grateful for the contribution of our Reserve Forces who provide the UK with the ability to meet the threats we face at home and overseas, with the scale, skills, agility and connection to society that it needs, in a cost-effective way.
Alongside the Strategic Defence Review’s interest in Reserves, and in tandem with the transformational work already underway in Defence, I am reviewing the Reserves landscape, in a meaningful and impactful way, to ensure that we are making the most of the unique skills our Reserves offer Defence.
A total of 2,860 Reservists are aged between 55 and 60. Of those, 450 will turn 60 in 2025 if they remain on strength.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many reservists are aged between 55 and 60; and how many will be 60 in the next 12 months.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
I am grateful for the contribution of our Reserve Forces who provide the UK with the ability to meet the threats we face at home and overseas, with the scale, skills, agility and connection to society that it needs, in a cost-effective way.
Alongside the Strategic Defence Review’s interest in Reserves, and in tandem with the transformational work already underway in Defence, I am reviewing the Reserves landscape, in a meaningful and impactful way, to ensure that we are making the most of the unique skills our Reserves offer Defence.
A total of 2,860 Reservists are aged between 55 and 60. Of those, 450 will turn 60 in 2025 if they remain on strength.