Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the number of nurseries in England restricting free childcare hours due to cost and availability; what steps her Department is taking to ensure parents receive the full free childcare hours they are entitled to; and what support her Department is giving with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to nurseries to sustainably deliver funded places.

It is our ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to secure free early education and childcare for eligible children in their area. Eligible children are entitled to 570 or 1,140 hours of free early education and childcare over the calendar year from when they become eligible.

Providers should set out how many free hours parents are getting per day and per week, to ensure parents understand what free hours they are receiving over the calendar year from when their child first becomes eligible.

Providers can also charge parents for any additional, private paid hours according to their usual terms and conditions provided taking up private paid hours is not a condition of accessing a free place.

In 2026/27, we are expecting to provide over £9.5 billion for the early years entitlements, investing over £1 billion more this year compared to 2025/26 to deliver a full year of the expanded entitlements and an increase to entitlements funding rates.