Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of 30 hours free childcare places on (a) the availability of places for three and four-year-olds whose parents are not working and (b) funded two-year-old places.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to secure 15 hours a week of free early education for 38 weeks of the year for eligible two year olds and all three and four year olds. Statistics published in June 2017 show that in January 2017, 95% of three and four year olds and 71% of eligible two year olds were benefitting from a free place, a 3% increase from the previous year.

We have recruited a national delivery contractor, Childcare Works, to support local authorities with their implementation and delivery of 30 hours free childcare. We are monitoring take up of the two-year-old programme and the universal entitlement for 3 and 4 year olds.

A key part of Childcare Works’ contract is working with local authorities to ensure that take up of the early learning for two year olds programme does not decrease due to the introduction of 30 hours free childcare for working parents.

In our 8 early implementer areas, we have not seen a negative impact on the existing entitlements.