Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of childcare spaces in Britain; and how much additional funding her Department plans to allocate to childcare.

The department understands that childcare is a key concern for parents, which is why we are committed to improving the cost, choice, and availability of childcare.

To increase the choice and availability of childcare, the department announced a package of measures in July 2022. This included taking action to open up the childminder market to support childminders and halt the decline in numbers, giving more parents access to affordable, flexible childcare.

The department also continues to monitor the sufficiency of childcare places. The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children. Ofsted data shows that the number of places offered by providers on the Early Years Register has remained broadly stable at 1.3 million places since August 2015.

Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area.

The department has regular contact with each local authority in England, and if a local authority raises concerns about sufficiency issues, we will support it with any specific requirements. At present, all local authorities report that they are fulfilling their duty to ensure sufficient childcare.

In the 2021 Spending Review, the department announced additional funding for the early years entitlements of £160 million in the 2022/23 financial year, £180 million in 2023/24 and £170 million in 2024/25, compared to the 2021/22 financial year.

In the 2023/24 financial year, we will invest an additional £20 million into early years funding, on top of the additional £180 million for 2023/24. Taken together, this will help support providers at a national level with the additional National Living Wage costs associated with delivering the free childcare entitlements next year.

With the additional £20 million, local authorities are set to receive average funding increases of 3.4% for the 3- and 4-year-old free childcare entitlements and 4% for the 2- year-old entitlement, compared to their 2022/23 rates.

The department has again increased the Early Years Pupil Premium, which for 2023/24 will provide up to £353 per eligible child per year to support better outcomes for disadvantaged 3- and 4-year-olds. Additionally, we have increased the Disability Access Fund, which will be worth at least £828 per eligible child per year.

The department continues to engage with sector stakeholders and local authorities to monitor dynamics within local markets, parents’ access to the government’s entitlements and the childcare they require, and the sustainability of the sector.