PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Children: Day Care (23 February 2015)

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many (a) men and (b) women in further education received funding for childcare through the (i) Discretionary Learner Support scheme and (ii) Care to Learn scheme in the last academic year; and what the total amount spent on such support was in that period.

Asked by:
Alison McGovern (Labour)

Childcare funding is provided though the Discretionary Learner Support Scheme to support learners aged 20 or above who are at risk of not starting learning or not continuing learning as a result of childcare difficulties. Providers declared that spending in the academic year 13/14 was £44.3m. The Skills Funding Agency estimates that this supported around 7000 full time and 7500 part-time learners. Recent research indicates that 97% of the funding is awarded to female learners.

The Care to Learn scheme is an Education Funding Agency scheme. 39 men and 5,592 women received help with their childcare costs from the Care to Learn scheme in the 2013 to 2014 academic year. The amount spent on childcare costs in that academic year was £24,262,979. This figure covers childcare costs, associated travel payment and summer retainers (which can be paid to hold childcare places over the summer holiday period if the qualifying criteria are met).

Answered by:
Nick Boles (Independent)
2 March 2015