To ask the Minister for Communities (i) for his assessment of the impact of the delay in implementing a childcare strategy on families and women who wish to be able to work; and (ii) to detail his next steps in working with other Executive departments resolve this issue.

The Department of Education leads on the development of an Executive Early Learning and Childcare Strategy. The overarching policy aims of the strategy are to support child development, improve the affordability of childcare for families and, thereby, enable more parents, particularly mothers, to work.

Implementation of the Strategy will be taken forward with the support of a cross-departmental Task and Finish Group, which includes my officials, and will involve further targeted engagement with stakeholders, to inform and test operational planning.

I am committed to supporting working parents to enable them to take up, return to and remain in work. My Department currently provides a range of financial and practical support, including:

Universal Credit - help with childcare costs

Adviser Discretion Fund – help with upfront childcare costs

Employability programmes – including Local Labour Market Partnerships (LMP) and JobStart.

Additional information on help with childcare costs through Universal Credit and the Adviser Discretion Fund is available at: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/universal-credit-payments-children-and-childcare

Additional information on LMP is available at:

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/employment-and-training-opportunities-your-area

Additional information on JobStart is available at:

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/jobstart-scheme

In support of the development of the Strategy, my officials have shared details of this support with colleagues in the Department of Education.