Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of staff in early years settings in Bristol North West constituency.

The department does not hold constituency level data for the early years workforce. In December 2022, the department published the childcare and early years provider survey which shows the data at a national and regional level. This can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-provider-survey/2022.

The department has regular contact with each local authority in England. If a local authority raises concerns about sufficiency issues, including due to staffing availability, the department will escalate, with the possibility of offering short-term support via our external support contract. The department is currently seeking to procure a contract that will provide support to local authorities in fulfilling their childcare sufficiency duties. At present, all local authorities, including those in and around Bristol, report that they are fulfilling their duty to ensure sufficient childcare.