Parents could get free childcare sooner as minister vows to ‘speed up’ Budget giveaways if possible

THE Children’s Minister has promised Sun readers she will “speed up” the roll-out of more free childcare if possible.

Claire Coutinho said the package for parents announced in Wednesday’s Budget could be brought forward if nurseries and minders are ready to take on the extra kids.

It would be a major boost for mums and dads who will not benefit from the changes for more than two years.

Jeremy Hunt’s flagship plan to extend the 30 hours a week free childcare to nine-month-old babies is not due to kick in until September 2025.

It will be phased in gradually, with two-year-olds getting 15 hours from April 2024 and the same for nine-month-olds the following September.

The delay sparked a backlash from parents crying out for the support to come in immediately.

Pressed by the Sun if the reforms could be accelerated, Ms Coutinho said: “Absolutely. This is something that we’re doing very, very closely in collaboration with the sector.

“But if we can get the workforce in place and get everything up and running, of course I’d be happy to speed it up.”

She hailed the changes as the “single largest ever expansion of childcare” and that it was crucial to make sure “everyone’s ready for the changes that are coming”.

A pilot will pay new childminders a £600 bonus if they sign on via Ofsted or £1,200 if they come through an agency.

Ms Coutinho said she wanted to make it as “attractive” as possible to join the profession although declined to put a number on how many more staff were needed.

She downplayed the idea of hiring immigrants to fill the gap, saying “it is mainly people who are English and British who work in childcare because of language”.

Ms Coutinho, a close pal of Rishi Sunak, dismissed critics who say the PM is out of touch with ordinary families.

She said: “I think anyone who spends any time with Rishi, they'll see that he's someone who passionately cares about people making their lives better.”