Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average income is of families with at least one parent in work who are (a) eligible and (b) ineligible for the 30-hour early education entitlement for three and four year olds.

All three and four-year-olds are eligible for 15 hours free early education, regardless of parental income or working status. An additional 15 hours is available to parents who are working at least 16 hours a week at national minimum wage or living wage, but earn under £100,000 per year. This applies to single-parent households as well as both parents in a two-parent household, unless one partner is in receipt of certain benefits (Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, Carer’s Allowance or contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance).

The department holds some data on parental income levels from the 2019 Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents, but not the relevant data to be able to assess against eligibility for the 30 hours entitlements. We are currently collecting our next set of data through the 2021 Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents, scheduled for release in July 2022.