Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate he has made of the cost of extending 30 hours' free childcare to 52 weeks a year.

All the free early education and childcare entitlements can be ‘stretched’ by taking fewer hours per week over up to 52 weeks of the year to cover term-time and the school holidays, for example 23 hours for 48 weeks of the year, and free places can be delivered at weekends.

No estimate has been made of the cost of 30 hours’ free childcare for 52 weeks of the year.