Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of disadvantaged (a) two, (b) three and (c) four-year olds who receive a discretionary full-time 30 hours early education and care place from their local authority who are expected to lose that place in September 2017 as a result of the extension to 30 hours free childcare for three and four-year olds with parents in work.

Under our new Early Years National Funding Formula (EYNFF) arrangements, local authorities are required to pass 93% of their Government funding to early years providers in 2017-18, so that they can deliver the national early years entitlements on a fair and sustainable basis.

The Government response to the EYNFF consultation recognised that this might cause difficulties for some local authorities who have chosen to offer discretionary hours, above the core statutory entitlement, to disadvantaged children. That is why we set out a disapplication process, whereby local authorities can request some flexibility around the 93% requirement.

Five local authorities have been granted such a disapplication in 2017-18. We do not therefore expect any local authorities to have to stop funding these discretionary hours in September 2017 as a result of our funding reforms.