Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:17 pm on 1 October 2019.
I thank Rhianon Passmore for raising this issue. Of course, 1,107 children in Caerphilly alone are accessing the childcare offer. It has been really important that we listen to parents in terms of our evaluation of the scheme. When we evaluated it at the first year of implementation, the majority of parents reported a real increase in their disposable income because of the offer. A typical parent who is benefiting from 20 hours of childcare per week is now getting the equivalent of an extra £90 a week in their pockets—money that they wouldn't otherwise have had. That's one of our priorities as a Welsh Government—to see how we can ensure that low-income families do have more money in their pockets to spend on all of the things that they need, and to make sure that their families have what they need.
So, in terms of moving forward, we're still keen to continue the roll-out. We know that there are lots of families who have yet to access the scheme who would certainly benefit from it. I know that the Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services is considering what the future of this scheme might look like.