Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have plans to reform childcare, particularly staff-child ratios; and if so, what is their timetable for doing so.

The department is committed to supporting working families and parents back into employment, by improving the cost, choice, and availability of childcare. We are currently exploring a wide range of options to achieve this ambition.

The consultation on Childcare: Regulatory Changes, closed on 16 September 2022, and the department will respond in due course. We consulted on:

• Moving to the Scottish staff-to-child ratios for two-year-olds, from a ratio of 1:4 to 1:5.
• Amending early years foundation stage framework wording on childminder ratios, so it is clear that childminders have flexibility within their ratios in circumstances where they are caring for sibling children, or their own child.
• Seeking views on further options for reforming ratios in future, working with the sector and parents to shape the future regulatory framework.

The department’s priority continues to be to provide safe, high-quality, and affordable early years provision for our youngest children.