Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if the Government will use Sure Start centres to provide additional childcare as part of its policy of extending free childcare to 30 hours per week.

Children’s centres provide a valuable service. They have the potential to make a critical difference to young families at vulnerable and challenging times in their lives. Local authorities are best placed to determine what children’s centre services best meet the needs of their local community, including the role they should play in delivering childcare provision.