Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase provision of affordable childcare in the UK.

The department is committed to improving the cost, choice, and availability of childcare.

In July 2022, the department announced measures to increase the take-up of childcare support and reduce the costs and bureaucracy facing providers. These plans aim to give providers more flexibility and autonomy and ensure families can access government support to save them money on their childcare bills. This included consulting on changing staff-to-child ratios for 2-year-olds in group-based settings and clarifying flexibilities for childminders. As part of the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, we have announced additional funding for the early years entitlements of £160 million in 2022/23, £180 million in 2023/24 and £170 million in 2024/25, compared to the 2021/22 financial year, for local authorities to increase hourly rates paid to childcare providers.

The department also announced a £1.2 million marketing campaign underway via the Childcare Choices website to ensure that every parent knows about the government-funded support they are eligible for. The website can be found here: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

The department aims to attract more people to childminding, expand the childminder market by reducing the costs and bureaucracy facing providers, and encourage the growth of childminder agencies, enabling greater access to this flexible, affordable form of care. The full announcement can be viewed online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/drive-to-reduce-the-cost-of-childcare-for-parents.

The department continues to work across government, looking at ways to make childcare more affordable and to encourage families to use the government-funded support they are entitled to.