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Childcare
13 September 2021
Lead MP
Catherine McKinnell
Newcastle upon Tyne North
Lab
Responding Minister
Vicky Ford
Tags
EducationTaxationEmploymentChildren & FamiliesLocal Government
Word Count: 14446
Other Contributors: 13
At a Glance
Catherine McKinnell raised concerns about childcare in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
I ask the Government to consider commissioning an independent review of childcare funding to ensure a system that supports families economically and socially, improves early education outcomes, narrows the gender pay gap, and enhances overall societal benefits. The government must recognise childcare as an infrastructure issue and invest accordingly to reduce child poverty and improve workforce participation. I urge them to provide affordable childcare from six months of age to ensure women can return to work and avoid baking inequality into our system. The government should acknowledge the value of early years sector and pay what is needed to deliver services properly. Funding must reflect the actual costs including staffing needs, considering the national living wage increase. A total rethink on childcare funding is required with a multi-year settlement and simplification in the system.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
I am concerned about the high costs of childcare in the UK, which are among the highest in developed countries. The petition highlights the need for an independent review to ensure that we have a properly funded and accessible early education sector. Providers struggle with insufficient funding per hour, leading to higher costs for parents, and many providers must charge more for non-funded hours to cover their expenses. This has significant impacts on quality of care, staff turnover, and parental stress. I am concerned about the prohibitive cost of childcare in London and across communities with high child poverty rates. The cost of nursery provision has grown four times faster than wages, and more than seven times faster in London. As a result, families are choosing between basic necessities like food and housing. Only one in five local authorities had enough places for children with special educational needs before the pandemic, which has worsened significantly during it. Early years staff in Bath have worked hard during the pandemic but feel undervalued by the government, with guidance being ambiguous and provision of PPE and testing coming too slowly. Research from YMCA suggests that up to 80% of childcare settings cannot deliver services at their local authority funding rates. In Bath, local council receives £5.59 an hour for two-year-olds and just £4.48 an hour for children aged three and above, making it difficult for providers to operate without subsidies from fee-paying families.
Pontypridd
The speaker highlighted the need for more inclusive language in discussing childcare and criticized the UK Government's limited paternity leave allowance. She also noted that while the Welsh Labour Government has a robust childcare system, nurseries across England are closing at an alarming rate, with 442 losing their Ofsted registration over the last year.
The speaker, although representing Scotland where childcare is devolved, expressed concern about the high costs of childcare in England pushing families into poverty. She pointed out that 30 hours of free childcare per week offered by the UK Government is insufficiently funded and exacerbates existing inequalities. She highlighted the economic benefits of good quality childcare and stressed the need for bold policies to address the gender pay gap, with affordable and high-quality childcare being a key starting point.
Mackrory thanked early years workers for their efforts during the pandemic and shared her personal experience with the Government's 30 hours scheme. She expressed hope for Cornwall's potential involvement in pilot schemes for early years sectors and acknowledged the challenges faced by parents today due to rising costs, particularly housing.
Ellie Reeves
Lab
Lewisham West and East Dulwich
Reeves highlighted the critical importance of early years education for a child's development, expressing concern over the financial crisis facing childcare providers. She cited figures showing 2,500 provider closures this year alone and 12,000 lost since 2015, with 30,000 more at risk in the next year. She also mentioned that analysis by Pregnant Then Screwed indicated 345,000 women are at risk of losing their jobs due to further closures.
Fleur Anderson
Lab
Putney
Fleur Anderson highlighted the high costs of childcare in the UK, citing that it is one of the most expensive systems globally. She mentioned that over 130,000 people signed a petition for a review on childcare issues. In her constituency, childcare costs are 30% higher than average and up to 50% more than other regions. Anderson shared personal experiences struggling with childcare costs and emphasised the importance of secure funding for nurseries. Inquired about councils' childcare sufficiency reports and their impact on assessing whether there are sufficient places in the right areas, highlighting concerns over closures in deprived areas.
Grandparents often step in to provide necessary childcare, but this uneven pattern results in different levels of child development.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Discussed the affordability of childcare and its impact on families. Mentioned a case where £50 extra monthly income disqualifies families from more substantial financial help in Strangford, leading to tough choices such as reduced working hours or reliance on grandparents. Highlighted that about 14 million UK grandparents regularly care for grandchildren, saving approximately £6.8 billion nationally but at the cost of their quality of life and health. He supported Angela Crawley's points, noting that grandparents should not be burdened with childcare responsibilities due to physical limitations. He called for the government to address this issue through policy responses.
Siobhan Baillie
Con
Bristol North West
Ms Baillie thanked the Petitions Committee and those who signed a petition to secure debate on childcare. She highlighted five key points: retaining talent of parents with young children, acknowledging working mothers' productivity potential, recognising early years staff, ensuring system improvement for parental choice, and avoiding politicisation of the issue. Ms Baillie noted that 60% of disadvantaged two-year-olds benefit from free childcare weekly and praised efforts such as a £1 billion flexible childcare services fund.
Stella Creasy
Lab Co-op
Walthamstow
Asked the Minister to address why only 13% of eligible families from the bottom third income bracket are taking up the 30 hours of free childcare, suggesting that current funding means some poorest families cannot afford it. Stella Creasy challenged the Minister's claim that no childcare places have closed, citing evidence from the National Day Nurseries Association which showed a net loss of 400 nurseries in 2020-21 compared to an increase of 300 in 2019-20.
Steve Brine
Con
Fareham
Stresses the importance of reviewing childcare funding, citing nearly 113,000 signatures for an e-petition. Points out a £62 million underspend by councils in early years funding and a shortfall of almost £3,000 per child per year for every 30-hours place. Expresses concern over the closure of nurseries due to financial pressures, disproportionately affecting poorer families.
Theresa Villiers
Con
Henley
Investing in early years provision and education is crucial for social mobility. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of childcare providers. A constituent mentioned that a teacher's salary almost entirely goes towards childcare costs. There is urgent need to resolve funding issues for maintained nursery schools which face an uncertain future without supplementary funding.
Tulip Siddiq
Lab
Hampstead and Highgate
The MP highlighted the importance of childcare, noting that over 100,000 people signed a petition supporting it. She criticised the Government's underfunding of free childcare policies and the lack of support during the pandemic, leading to a £662 million funding gap and significant childcare provider losses. She also mentioned the financial burden on families and childcare workers' low wages.
Wera Hobhouse
Lib Dem
Bath
Raised concern that one in 10 childcare workers lives in poverty, questioning if this is acceptable.
Government Response
Vicky Ford
Government Response
The Government recognises the importance of high-quality childcare and acknowledges its impact on child development, parental employment, and overall family well-being. Since 2013, the Conservative-led coalition government has introduced significant measures such as 15 hours of free childcare for disadvantaged two-year-olds, benefiting over a million children. In 2017, they extended this to 30 hours of free childcare for working families. The Minister highlighted the £44 million investment in hourly rates paid to childcare providers and noted that local authorities have seen increases ranging from 6p to 8p an hour. She emphasised that the government pays higher funding rates in areas with higher business costs, such as London, where the average hourly rate is £6.11 compared to £4.91 nationally. The Minister also discussed the holiday activities and food programme, which provides childcare and activities for children on free school meals during holidays. She stated that there has been no significant lack of sufficient childcare places reported by local authorities since June 2020 despite closures and mergers. Additionally, she mentioned a £20 million investment in professional development for early years staff to support disadvantaged children's learning and development.
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About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.