Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the expansion of the 30 hours free childcare entitlement to non-working parents.

​As the last government set out when announcing the expansion of government funded childcare in 2023, this aimed to tackle the fact that ‘the employment rate and hours worked by parents, particularly mothers, drops after childbirth and persists until after their children reach school age’.

Access to childcare continues to be a key factor in helping parents to work. Official statistics from the 2025 Childcare and Early Years Parent survey highlight that around two thirds (66%) of mothers in families with children aged 0 to 4 years said that having reliable childcare helped them to work, and that in the absence of the working parents offer for 9 months to 2 year olds, 40% in receipt of the offer said that they would be working fewer hours.

However, we know that many of those who need and benefit from early education and childcare miss out. Children who attend high-quality early education and childcare between ages 2 and 4 on average perform better at every stage of school, with children from low-income families benefiting the most. Nearly 1.5 million children aged 9 months to school age are excluded from the full 30-hour entitlement because their parents do not meet the eligibility rules. Children in lower income areas face both fewer childcare places and fewer high-quality providers on their doorstep. Childcare is a key barrier to those on low incomes working more, with a disproportionate impact on women.

This is why the department is leading an Early Education and Childcare Review to improve the system so that it is simpler, fairer and focused on children, ensuring support reaches the families who need it most. Through this, as the former Secretary of State for Education set out, universal childcare is something towards which we should build.