Children: Day Care

(asked on 12th June 2018) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of support provided to single parents to cover the cost of childcare in the school holidays.


Answered by
Nadhim Zahawi Portrait
Nadhim Zahawi
This question was answered on 15th June 2018

By 2019-20, the government will be spending around £6 billion on childcare support – a record amount - to help with the costs of childcare, including childcare in the school holidays.

A single parent is able to access the 30 hours free childcare entitlement if they are earning at least the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week. This entitlement is available across 38 weeks of the year. However, the entitlement can be “stretched” by taking fewer hours per week over more than 38 weeks of the year to cover term-time and the school holidays, for example 23 hours for 48 weeks of the year. Furthermore, parents are able to use Tax-Free Childcare to support them with paying for childcare support during the school holidays.

We have already increased the level of support for childcare within Universal Credit (UC) from 70% to 85% of eligible childcare costs; its highest ever level. This is more generous than the support available to people on legacy benefits.

This gives parents, including single parents, up to a maximum of £646.35 per month for one child and £1108.04 per month for two or more children. UC childcare costs are assessed monthly, meaning that where claimants experience a change in their childcare costs, for example an increase during the school holidays, UC childcare costs can increase (up to the maximum award) to meet the household’s needs.

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