Baroness Jones of Whitchurch – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2014-03-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that 40 per cent of two-year-olds will be able to receive free childcare by September 2014 as announced by the Deputy Prime Minister on 2 September 2013.

Lord Nash

The Government is investing £525 million this year, rising to £755 million in 2014-15, in the new entitlement to early learning for two-year-olds. In February 2014 local authorities reported that over 100,000 two-year-olds were already benefitting from funded early learning places. Local authorities have received £100 million capital funding, and we are reducing bureaucracy and red tape to help support the expansion of successful providers and the creation of new places. We are encouraging more schools to provide early education places and to open from 8-6pm and are also establishing childminder agencies. These measures are part of the Government’s wider childcare reform programme which will improve the affordability and accessibility of childcare by increasing the supply of places across the country.