Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department has provided to families with earnings (a) below and (b) above £100,000 for childcare in the last 12 months.

The government provides a range of early years entitlements for 2, 3 and 4-year-old children in England.

2-year-old children from disadvantaged families, with working parents on low incomes, and in receipt of certain benefits (earning less than £15,400 and in receipt of Universal Credit or earning less than £16,190 and receiving tax credits) are entitled to 15 hours of childcare per week.

The universal entitlement of 15 hours per week of free early education is available for all 3- and 4-year-olds in England and has no earnings threshold.

An additional 15 hours per week entitlement, also known as 30 hours free childcare, is available for 3 and 4-year-old children of working parents who earn at least the equivalent of 16 hours per week at National Minimum or Living Wage (currently just over £152 per week / £7,900 per year), and less than £100,000 adjusted net income per year. In a two-parent family, both parents must meet the above thresholds, unless one partner receives certain benefits, such as Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, Carer’s Allowance or contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance. In a single-parent household the single parent must meet the threshold.

The early years pupil premium is available for eligible 3 and 4-year-old children in receipt of the universal 15 hours entitlement, from disadvantaged families on certain benefits or low incomes. 3 and 4-year-old children receiving the universal 15 hours and children’s disability living allowance may be eligible for the disability access fund.

The following table shows government spending on childcare entitlements for the 2022/23 financial year:

*As published in the initial early years funding allocations of the dedicated schools grant, which can be accessed here: https://skillsfunding.service.gov.uk/view-latest-funding/national-funding-allocations/DSG/2022-to-2023. Final allocations for the financial year 2022/23 will be published in July 2023.

3 and 4-year-old children of parents each earning in excess of £100,000 per year may be eligible for the universal 15 hours entitlement and for Disability Access Fund. The department does not hold data on what proportion of the spend on those entitlements is paid in relation to those children.