Sharon challenged the Chancellor of the Exchequer to provide more details on how his announcement of free childcare for disadvantaged two-year-olds would be paid for, given that councils were facing huge cuts to the funding that they get to provide childcare:

Mrs Sharon Hodgson (Washington and Sunderland West) (Lab): The giving with one hand and taking away with the other for child care plays with children’s lives and is disgraceful. By how much will the Chancellor increase the early intervention grant to pay for the child care pledge that he announced today? How much capital funding will he provide to local authorities so that they can expand and build nurseries? From what children’s pot will he rob that money?

Mr Osborne: We have introduced, for the first time, an entitlement for disadvantaged two-year-olds to get 15 hours of free nursery care. Such a policy was never introduced in the 13 years of a Labour Government. We have increased the figure to 40% of all children of that age and the cost is just shy of £500 million by the end of the period.

You can read Sharon’s question on Hansard, or watch the whole statement on Parliament TV – Sharon’s question is at 14:13:00.

Further information on the Autumn Statement is available on the Treasury’s website.

www.sharonhodgson.org

Sharon Hodgson MP
House of Commons,
London SW1A 0AA

E-mail: hodgsons@parliament.uk

Westminster Office Tel. 020 7219 5160

Constituency Office Te. 0191 417 2000

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