Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2018 to Question 120803, on children: day care, what the cost to the public purse of sending those text messages was; and what proportion of the people who received a text message successfully reapplied for an eligibility code.

The text messages that were sent to parents in December 2017 cost approximately £1,400. These messages were part of wider communications to encourage parents to apply, or reconfirm their eligibility for 30 hours free childcare before the start of the spring term. Over 326,000 30 hours codes were issued for the spring term.

This Government is investing more in childcare than ever before. Tax-Free Childcare is one part of that childcare support and is aimed at working parents. Foster carers already receive funding for the care of their foster child from local authorities. Local authorities are best placed to individually assess what is in the best interests of fostered children. Where they judge that it is in the best interests of a fostered child, local authorities can fund childcare on a discretionary basis.