To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what information his Department collects on the qualifications of existing child care and early years workers in registered settings. (163354)

[holding answer 12 November 2007]: Data on the qualifications of existing child care and early years workers in registered settings are collected as part of the Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey.

This data source is a nationally representative survey of registered Childcare and Early Years Providers, commissioned by the Department. The survey began in 1998 and was repeated in 2001, 2002-03, 2005 and 2006. The survey is also commissioned to take place in 2007 and 2008.

The 2006 Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey shows that the workforce is becoming better qualified across all provider types. There has been a rise in supervisory staff in settings coinciding with a rise in staff qualifications. Over 70 per cent. of all paid staff in full day care, and early years settings in maintained schools hold at least a Level 3 qualification, while in children’s centres this rises to over 80 per cent. of staff. The proportion of staff with a Level 3 qualification or above in full day care is 10 percentage points higher than in 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the proportion of three to four-year-olds in workless families for whom the entitlement to 12.5 hours of formal childcare per week was taken up in the most recent period for which figures are available. (181860)

[holding answer 24 January 2008]: The 2007 Parents’ Childcare Survey collected information about take-up of the free entitlement for three and four-year-olds to 12.5 hours of formal child care per week, by child and family characteristics. This will allow an estimate to be made of the proportion of three to four-year-olds in workless families who had taken up this entitlement.

The findings from the 2007 survey will be published in late February 2008.

Estimates are not available for earlier years as questions about the take-up of the free entitlement to early years education for three and four-year-olds were not asked in previous surveys.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many additional childcare places have been (a) provided, (b) lost and (c) left available to the 100 local authorities with the worst incidences of multiple deprivation in each year since 1997. (185866)

The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate costs.