Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Accessible and Affordable Childcare

Monday 28 November 2022 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Tan Dhesi asked the Minister about steps being taken to ensure accessible and affordable childcare.
  • The Minister responded that the Government have spent over 20 billion in the last five years to support families with childcare costs.
  • The Minister also mentioned an additional 500 million investment in the childcare sector announced last year.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Tan Dhesi Lab Slough
Children & Families
Context

The MP seeks clarity on steps being taken to ensure childcare is both accessible and affordable, highlighting the importance of these issues for families.

Question

What steps he is taking to help ensure childcare is (a) accessible and (b) affordable.

Answer from Claire Coutinho

We are committed to improving the cost, choice and accessibility of childcare, and have spent more than £20 billion over the last five years supporting families with the cost of childcare.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps and commitments on affordability and accessibility were not detailed

How: We Are Committed To

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Q2 Tan Dhesi Lab Slough
Economy Children & Families
Context

The MP criticises the Government for underfunding childcare, resulting in increased costs and reduced access. Ofsted data reveals a significant number of childcare providers have closed within the year to March 2022.

Question

The Government are knowingly underfunding the entitlement to 15 or 30 hours of childcare by over £2 per hour, thereby forcing providers to cross-subsidise and leading to astronomical costs for parents. New Ofsted data shows that 4,000 childcare providers closed within the year to March 2022, thereby further limiting access to childcare. When parents are having to pay more for their childcare than on their rent or mortgage, and adults without children are saying that childcare costs are forcing them out of parenting and precluding them from that, does she agree that she and the Government are presiding over a broken childcare system?

Answer from Claire Coutinho

I thank the hon. Gentleman for that question. Childcare is of course enormously important, and it is this Conservative Government who have expanded the childcare offer successively over a number of years. Last year in the spending review, we set out an additional £500 million to come into the sector, and we are also supporting private providers with their energy bills this year.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific acknowledgment of underfunding and its impact on childcare system were not addressed

How: We Are Committed To, Expanding The Childcare Offer Successively

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