To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Childcare: Tax Allowances
Wednesday 7th December 2022

Asked by: Robin Walker (Conservative - Worcester)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the effectiveness of the tax-free childcare offer.

Answered by John Glen

HM Treasury and the Department for Education work closely together on all childcare policy, including Tax-Free Childcare. Take-up of Tax-Free Childcare is on a steady upward trajectory: at the end of June 2022 (the most recent data) an estimated 391,000 families used Tax-Free Childcare for 468,000 children.


Written Question
Childcare: Tax Allowances
Wednesday 7th December 2022

Asked by: Robin Walker (Conservative - Worcester)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what data his Department holds on the take up of tax-free childcare in each of the last five years; and what steps he is taking to increase its take up.

Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The figures for open and used accounts for Tax-Free Childcare are published in Official Statistics. The latest release in November 2022 relates to figures up to September 2022 and are provided in the table below.

Number of: (1000s)

Financial Year

2017-18

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

Children with Open Accounts*

314

537

768

901

1,093

Children with Used Accounts*

72

203

396

462

647

Families with Open Accounts

272

449

615

697

816

Families with Used Accounts

57

160

315

374

512

* This refers to the number of children for whom accounts are open/used. A used account is one where a payment has been made to a childcare provider within the financial year. An open account is one where a family has met the eligibility criteria and may or may not have made a payment. This shows that in 2021-22 approximately 512,000 families used Tax-Free Childcare for 647,000 children

The Government is committed to supporting families with their childcare costs, including through Tax-Free Childcare (TFC). In July this year, we launched a £1.2 million communications campaign to help parents to access childcare support. This includes adverts through a variety of media channels, online, radio, television, newspaper and billboards. Additionally, we have worked with childcare providers at local levels to help parents better understand the support that is available to them.


Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 17 Nov 2022
Autumn Statement

"I welcome my right hon. Friend’s correct focus on putting education and skills at the heart of his statement. I was one of many Conservative Members who wrote to ask him to protect the schools budget, and he has gone further than that with the additional £2 billion over each …..."
Robin Walker - View Speech

View all Robin Walker (Con - Worcester) contributions to the debate on: Autumn Statement

Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 17 Oct 2022
Economic Update

"I welcome my right hon. Friend to his place and I welcome his focus on both fiscal responsibility and compassionate conservatism. Further to his welcome answer to my right hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Robert Halfon), does he agree that money invested in the skills and education of the …..."
Robin Walker - View Speech

View all Robin Walker (Con - Worcester) contributions to the debate on: Economic Update

Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 09 Jun 2016
Oral Answers to Questions

"After the huge success of the London Paralympics, we all saw how Paralympic sport can inspire. Will the Secretary of State join me in congratulating my six Worcester constituents, who have been selected to represent ParalympicsGB in the wheelchair basketball at the Rio Paralympics?..."
Robin Walker - View Speech

View all Robin Walker (Con - Worcester) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions

Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 23 May 2016
UK Economy: Post-Referendum Assessment

"Inward investment is crucial to this analysis, and my constituency attracts it from China, Australia and the United States as well as from Japan. One crucial factor that has led me to believe that we are stronger in is the fact that all those countries and their businesses want to …..."
Robin Walker - View Speech

View all Robin Walker (Con - Worcester) contributions to the debate on: UK Economy: Post-Referendum Assessment

Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 13 Apr 2016
Tax Avoidance and Evasion

"My hon. Friend is talking about fairness and about some of the challenges that we faced with the deficit that we inherited. Is he not proud that in those circumstances, not only have we shifted income tax from the lowest paid to the highest paid, but we have helped small …..."
Robin Walker - View Speech

View all Robin Walker (Con - Worcester) contributions to the debate on: Tax Avoidance and Evasion

Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 13 Apr 2016
Tax Avoidance and Evasion

"My hon. Friend is making a very interesting point. May I add another initiative which, to be fair, was an initiative of the previous Labour Government? The extractive industries transparency initiative was brought in by Labour, but it did not sign the UK up to it. This initiative is very …..."
Robin Walker - View Speech

View all Robin Walker (Con - Worcester) contributions to the debate on: Tax Avoidance and Evasion

Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 21 Mar 2016
Budget Changes

"Will the Minister confirm that, as well as continuing to take thousands of my constituents out of paying income tax, and as well as shifting the burden of taxation from small businesses, through business rates, to multinationals, the Government remain committed to a progressive target of halving the disability employment …..."
Robin Walker - View Speech

View all Robin Walker (Con - Worcester) contributions to the debate on: Budget Changes

Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 11 Feb 2016
Equitable Life

"rose..."
Robin Walker - View Speech

View all Robin Walker (Con - Worcester) contributions to the debate on: Equitable Life