Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the impact of levels of pay for childcare workers on recruitment and retention in the sector.

The majority of the early years sector is made up of private, voluntary and independent organisations who set their own rates of pay. The department acknowledges the concerns raised by the sector regarding workforce recruitment and retention, including the perceived impact of salary rates. We are working with the sector to build our understanding of the workforce situation, and how we might support providers in this area.