Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that nurseries have access to adequate funding to afford well-qualified staff.

We are increasing spending on childcare support to over £6 billion per year by 2019-20. We are investing £1 billion extra every year for the early years entitlements, including over £300 million a year to increase the hourly funding rates for 2, 3 and 4 year olds. The Early Years National Funding Formula (EYNFF) allocates this investment fairly and transparently, so that early years providers, including nurseries, can deliver free childcare on a sustainable and high-quality basis. From April 2017, 80% of local authorities will see increases in their funding rates for 3 and 4 year olds, and all will receive increases in their hourly rates for 2 year olds. The EYNFF allows local authorities to use a quality supplement in their local formulas to recognise workforce qualifications. We have also committed to developing an early years workforce strategy to help employers attract, retain and develop staff to deliver high quality provision.