Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an estimate of the (a) sufficiency and (b) affordability of childcare provision in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency.

The department continues to monitor the sufficiency of childcare. The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children. Ofsted data currently shows that the number of places offered by providers on the Early Years Register has remained broadly stable at 1.3 million places since August 2015. The Ofsted data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-providers-and-inspections-as-at-31-march-2022/main-findings-childcare-providers-and-inspections-as-at-31-march-2022.

Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. At present, Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency, which is covered by Cheshire West local authority, are reporting that they are fulfilling their duty to ensure sufficient childcare.

The department is committed to improving the cost, choice, and availability of childcare. We continue to look at ways to make childcare more affordable and to encourage families to use government-funded support they are entitled to. The department collects data on the main characteristics of childcare and early years provision in England, and fees data can be broken down to local authority level. Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency falls within Cheshire West local authority, where the latest data shows the average hourly fee band for childcare is £4.75 for 2-year-old children and £4.75 for 3 and 4-year-old children.