Students: Finance
Children, Schools and Families
Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people under 20 years old in further education in (a) England, (b) the North East and (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency received assistance in meeting childcare costs in each year since 1997.
Iain Wright (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Children, Schools and Families; Hartlepool, Labour)
There is a range of support available to provide assistance with child care costs depending on the circumstances of the parent. Since 2004/05 support for child care costs for learners under 19 at the beginning of their programme of learning has been available through the Care to Learn child care support scheme. Care to Learn was extended to include learners under 20 in April 2006.
In the academic year 2008/09 8,010 learners in England benefited from Care to Learn. This figure will include a number of learners aged over 20 who were under 20 at the beginning of their course.
The DCSF does not have a breakdown of Care to Learn recipients by constituency. The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has operational responsibility for Care to Learn, which includes the collection of management information. Geoff Russell, the LSC's Acting Chief Executive, will write to my hon. Friend for Middlesbrough South, and East Cleveland with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.