Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have applied for an eligibility childcare code for 30 hours free childcare via the gov.uk website; how many of those applications have been successful; how many of those applications have not been completed due to technical issues; and what the average amount of time was between completing that application and receiving an eligibility code.

As of 12^th of July, over 150,000 people had applied for an eligibility code for 30 hours free childcare and over 120,000 had been successful.

The system is designed so that most eligible parents will receive an eligibility decision and 30 hours code within 30 seconds. In some cases additional checks are needed to determine whether a parent is eligible and, where appropriate, a code will be issued following those checks.

It is not possible to provide a definitive number of applications not completed due to technical issues as the service allows parents to part complete their application, save it and return to it later. A dedicated helpline is in place to support parents who encounter technical difficulties or delays in receiving their code.