Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether her Department has made an assessment of the impact of the availability of childcare on the retention of mothers in the workforce.

We recognise that access to, and the availability of, affordable childcare is a key factor in enabling women to enter, remain, and progress in the workplace. That is why this Government continues to support families with their childcare costs.

All three- and four-year-olds in England are entitled to 15 hours of free childcare each week, providing children with high-quality early education, and helping parents to return to work. We have also spent over £3.5bn in each of the past three years on early education entitlements; and, at the Spending Review in October 2021, we announced additional funding for early years entitlements worth £160m in 2022-23, £180m in 2023-24 and £170m in 2024-25.

The provision of affordable, high-quality childcare is just one way in which we are changing the culture of the workplace to ensure that parents can balance work and care. In addition, we have extended the right to request flexible working to all employees with 26 weeks’ continuous service with their employer.

Furthermore, the Shared Parental Leave and Pay scheme gives working families more choice and flexibility about who cares for their child in the first year, and when. We have recently launched an online tool to make it easier for parents to check if they are eligible for shared parental leave and pay.