Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations her Department has received from childcare providers on the effect of the level of central government funding to local authorities for their expanded statutory responsibility to provide free childcare from September 2017 on the (a) pay levels they are able to offer their employees and (b) the experience and qualification levels of the employees they are able to recruit.

We have not received specific representations from providers on the areas raised in the question since the launch of the extended entitlement to childcare on 1 September.

The Department for Education does not set pay and conditions for early years professionals employed in private and voluntary sector organisations, which is the majority of the early years workforce.

The statutory framework for the early years’ foundation stage (EYFS) sets out qualifications requirements for staff working in early years settings.