Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support he is providing to student nurses to cover childcare costs while training for a nursing qualification.

Nursing students may be eligible for a childcare grant which is available to eligible students in higher education undertaking a full-time undergraduate course to help with weekly childcare costs. The amount payable is based on 85% of actual childcare costs, up to a maximum of £179.62 a week for one child or £307.95 a week for students with two or more children.

We also offer a Parents’ Learning Allowance for eligible full-time undergraduate students with one or more dependent children. For the academic year 2021/22, students could receive up to £1,821 a year, depending on household income. In addition, the NHS Learning Support Fund provides eligible nursing students with one or more children with a non-means tested, non-repayable parental support payment of £2,000 per student, per academic year of a standard three-year course.