Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Government's childcare policies on the number of nurseries closing down.

The most recent Ofsted statistics, published on 27 June, show that the number of providers of childcare on non-domestic premises (group providers) has remained stable over time, having decreased by just 2% since 31 August 2012. There was also a small increase in the number of childcare places that they offer. These statistics can be viewed on Ofsted’s website at this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted/about/statistics.

We regularly monitor the effect of our early years and childcare policies on the childcare market. The take-up of our childcare entitlements is positive, with 94% of three and four year-olds benefiting from funded early education and 72% of eligible two year-olds taking up the 15 hours entitlement. Furthermore, since the roll-out of 30 hours’ free childcare, more than 340,000 children have benefited from a 30 hours place. This saves around £5,000 per year for parents who use the full 30 hours.