Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have received financial compensation as a result of not having access to their online childcare account; and how much money has been paid out of the public purse for that compensation.

This question was answered on 20th November 2018
The vast majority of parents apply for and use their childcare account without problems, including getting their 30 hours eligibility code. Where parents have experienced technical issues, HMRC has arrangements in place to ensure that they do not miss out as a result. Manual codes are issued via a standard exception process that enables parents to access a 30 hours place when they are eligible if they cannot get a digital code within the required timeline. The number of manual codes issued has been decreasing since September 2017 as the system has become embedded.

To 31 October 2018, HMRC has received 4,560 complaints from parents who have experienced technical issues with the childcare service.

To 31 October 2018, HMRC has issued 35,370 codes manually to parents.

To 31 October 2018, HMRC has paid out £200,000 in redress to parents for expenses such as telephone calls to the helpline.