Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 20 February to Question 127468 on employment: females, what the short and long-term factors associated with the overall economic costs and benefits of parents moving into work are.

We recognise that parents are best placed to decide how to care for their children, and how best to balance childcare and work. The government is committed to supporting parents with the costs of childcare, which is why by 2020 this Government will be spending a record amount – around £6bn a year on childcare support.

Key factors associated with the economic costs and benefits of parents moving into work are likely to include the cost of childcare, parental earnings and the developmental benefits of childcare.