Childcare Payments Bill

This is a report of the House of Commons Committee Stage of the Childcare Payments Bill. A separate Library Research Paper (RP14/35) was prepared for the Bill’s Second Reading debate in the Commons.

Committee Stage took place between 14 and 28 October 2014, when a number of minor and technical Government amendments were agreed to without division. Report Stage and Third Reading of the Bill are scheduled to take place on 17 November 2014.

The Bill would introduce a new tax-free childcare scheme to support eligible parents with childcare costs. Under the scheme, the Government would provide 20 per cent support on costs up to £10,000 per year for each child via an online account. The Government would top up any payments made into the account, capped at a maximum Government contribution of £2,000 a year for each child.