Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 5
5
Paragraph: 24
We are pleased that the Government is contemplating and planning to consult on whether all...
Recommendation
We are pleased that the Government is contemplating and planning to consult on whether all children from families with NRPF should have access to the two- year-old entitlement. We believe that parents with NRPF have been prevented from working as much as they can to relieve financial pressures on their families due to restricted access to free childcare. The Government wants to ensure that people with NRPF are in work and it is in the interest of families and their employers to make childcare accessible. This is a step in the right direction. We urge the Government to undertake its consultation swiftly and consider positively the extension of the two-year-old entitlement to all children from families with NRPF conditions.
Paragraph Reference:
24
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
In September 2019, the government extended eligibility for this entitlement to 2-year-old children from three groups of families and, in September 2020, extended the entitlement to a fourth group of families with NRPF. The consultation referred to by the Committee seeks views on: • whether there are other groups of families with NRPF besides those identified in the consultation who should be eligible for the entitlement; and • the possible impact of any extension on people who share protected characteristics. The consultation opened on 25 March 2022 and closed on 20 May 2022.