Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of childcare costs on the UK birth rate.

Coram-PACEY’s 2026 Childcare Survey shows the expansion of government funded entitlements in 2024/25 brought the cost of a part-time childcare place for eligible working parents back to what it was in 2005. They additionally found that the expansion of 30 hours of funded childcare significantly reduced costs for eligible working parents in England, in some cases making part time childcare effectively free during term time.

The department’s 2025 Childcare Experiences Survey covered the expanded entitlements and showed that 13% of parents increased their working hours after starting to claim the entitlement.