Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

SEND: High-quality Childcare

Monday 11 March 2024 · 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 1 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Stella Creasy asked about steps to ensure high-quality childcare for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
  • The Minister responded by mentioning investment of hundreds of millions of pounds to increase hourly funding rates and provide dedicated additional SEND funding.
  • Stella Creasy also questioned whether every parent wanting free childcare hours for their eligible two-year-old would get a place without higher fees.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Stella Creasy Labour (Co-op) Walthamstow
Children & Families
Context

Parents are facing issues accessing free childcare hours due to fee hikes, especially affecting those with children who have special educational needs or disabilities. The government's impact assessment acknowledged potential negative impacts on provision.

Question

What steps she is taking to help ensure the availability of high-quality childcare for children with special educational needs and disabilities?

Answer from David Johnston

To ensure high-quality childcare for children with special educational needs, we are investing hundreds of millions of pounds to increase hourly funding rates and the amount of dedicated additional SEND funding, such as the disability access fund, for all eligible children, and funding the training of early years special educational needs co-ordinators.

Answered
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Q2 Stella Creasy Labour (Co-op) Walthamstow
Children & Families
Context

Parents are struggling to access the 15 free hours of childcare due to fee hikes, with particular issues affecting parents of children who have special educational needs or disabilities. The government's impact assessment acknowledged potential negative impacts.

Question

Can he restate his pledge that every parent who wanted the 15 free hours for their eligible two-year-old would be able to get a place and explicitly state that they will not have to pay higher fees?

Answer from David Johnston

I appreciate that it must be very frustrating for the hon. Lady, who genuinely cares about childcare, to be in a party that cannot be bothered to come up with a plan for it and has had to ask someone else to write it one because it cannot think of one.

Not addressed: The specific pledge on childcare availability for children with special educational needs without fee hikes was not addressed.

How: Changing Subject, Criticising Opposition

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