Question to the Minister of Education

Minister's Answer

I appreciate the role which appropriate early learning and childcare provision can play in helping children and families out of poverty. The Department for Communities leads on the Anti-Poverty Strategy and is represented on the Task and Finish Group which I established to support the development of an Early Learning and Childcare Strategy. Their input has helped shape the package of measures which I announced on 23 May. This includes a commitment to increase investment in early years programmes such as Sure Start, Pathway and Toybox. These are targeted at some of the most disadvantaged communities and groups within Northern Ireland and aim to ‘level the playing field’ for many young children experiencing poverty.

Research by the Institute of Fiscal Studies shows that child development outcomes are most effectively achieved through group programmes like this which provide a range of wrap-around support and include parental involvement.

In addition, families on Universal Credit are entitled to significant support with their childcare costs which particularly benefits parents working fewer hours and on lower incomes. In the 3 years from December 2020 to November 2023, 185,000 Universal Credit childcare payments were made in Northern Ireland, totalling £80m.

I am aware of the financial strain which childcare costs are putting on many families not eligible for Universal Credit. That is why I have decided to introduce a Northern Ireland childcare subsidy scheme initially targeted at parents eligible for Tax Free Childcare who have children below Primary school age. This group tends to be the highest users of childcare, incur the greatest costs and are most likely to consider it ‘difficult or very difficult to afford’.