Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to deliver more affordable childcare for parents and carers of children in Portsmouth South constituency.

The department recognises that families and early years providers across the country are facing financial pressures. That is why we have spent more than £20 billion over the past five years to support families with the cost of childcare. Families across the country, including parents and carers in Portsmouth South constituency, are entitled to government support to help families with the cost of childcare.

The government has doubled the entitlement for working parents of 3 and 4 year olds to 30 hours and introduced 15 free hours a week for disadvantaged 2 year olds.

Working parents on Universal Credit may be eligible for help with up to 85% of their childcare costs through Universal Credit to support with the costs of childcare.

In July 2022, the department announced a package of measures to increase the choice and availability of childcare. This included taking action to open up the childminder market to support childminders and halt the decline in numbers, giving more parents access to affordable, flexible childcare. We also launched our Childcare Choices communications campaign to ensure every parent knows about the government funded support they are eligible for.

In the 2021 Spending Review, we announced additional funding for the early years entitlements of £160 million in 2022/23, £180 million in 2023/24 and £170 million in 2024/25, compared to the 2021/22 financial year. Improving the cost, choice and availability of childcare for working parents is important for this government.

For 2023/24, we will invest an additional £20 million into early years funding, on top of the additional £180 million for 2023/24. Taken together, this will help support providers at a national level with the additional National Living Wage costs associated with delivering the free childcare entitlements next year.

The 2023 Spring Budget announced that we are closing the gap between parental leave ending and the current childcare offer for working parents, and ensuring all parents of primary-aged children can access wraparound childcare in school.

This represents the largest ever investment in childcare in England and will be transformative for parents, children and the economy.

By 2027/28, the department will provide over £4.1 billion to fund 30 hours of free childcare per week, covering 38 weeks per year, for working parents which children aged nine months to three years old in England.

The department will invest £204 million in 2023/24 to uplift the rates for existing entitlements, rising to £288 million in 2024/25, with further uplifts beyond this so that providers have the funding they need to deliver childcare entitlements.

We are removing one of the largest barriers to working parents by increasing the amount of free childcare available. Childcare is a vital enabler for parents to work, which is why we are bringing forward a number of measures to support parents to return and stay in work. This new funding will empower parents, allowing them to progress in their careers and supporting their families.

We believe all parents should have access to childcare before and after the school day to help them work. That is why we are also launching a new national wraparound childcare pilot scheme.

We will provide a total of £289 million in start-up funding to enable schools and local areas to test flexible ways of providing childcare.

By 2027/28, this government expects to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education, helping families with young children with their childcare costs.