Written question WQ98530
- Asked by
- Andrew RT DaviesConservative
- To be answered by
- First Minister
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 10 days
Question
Will the Welsh Government confirm the annual cost of providing 20 hours of free care a week for children aged nine months to four years old?
Answer
Answered by Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality (Sioned Williams)
We will deliver a universal, government-funded childcare offer for children aged 9 months to 4 years. This will be transformational, representing a significant expansion of current provision, and must therefore be delivered in a carefully phased and sustainable way.
In the first 100 days, our priority is to lay the foundations for that expansion. This includes establishing the governance and delivery structures needed to take this forward at pace—such as an expert steering group and a childcare taskforce—to oversee the development of an expanded offer for children aged 9 months to 4 years.
Alongside this, we are working closely with delivery partners to complete the rollout of 12.5 hours a week of funded childcare for all two-year-olds and to develop plans to progressively extend provision to younger children.
We are progressing this at pace and will provide further detail as our plans develop.