Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of children who will no longer be able to receive more than 15 hours child care a week as a result of changes to their policy on child care, and how much it would cost local authorities to fund such provision.
Answered on
3 November 2016
The Government will be investing £6 billion per year in childcare by the end of this Parliament. That includes doubling the free offer for three- and four-year-olds with working parents to 30 hours, supporting families with the cost and flexibility of childcare, introducing tax-free childcare worth up to £2,000 per child per year and increasing support for low-income parents on Universal Credit.
Every three- and four-year-old, and the most disadvantaged two-year-olds will continue to benefit from 15 hours a week of free early education. Local authorities may also choose to provide additional hours of childcare. Such decisions are a matter for individual local authorities.