王中王开奖结果 files new ICO complaint following DfE refusal to release new funding information

Leading early years organisation the Early Years 王中王开奖结果 has filed a new complaint to the Information Commissioner鈥檚 Office (ICO) after the Department for Education (DfE) rejected a request for proof that the latest increase in early years funding is enough to cover rising wage costs. 

In April, the 王中王开奖结果 filed a Freedom of Information request to the DfE asking for the calculations underpinning the government鈥檚 claim that the 拢44m increase in early years funding, which came into effect in April 2021, is enough to cover the increase in statutory wage costs, including the extension of the national living wage to 23- and 24-year-olds, a claim that has been repeatedly made in Parliament. 

Children and families minister Vicky Ford previously confirmed plans to publish this information during a public meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Children and Early Education. During the meeting, which took place on 19 January 2021, the minister stated: 

鈥淚n terms of funding, the work that we did with Treasury when we agreed that 拢44m for 6p for three- and four-year-olds, the 8p for two-year-olds, we are going to share maths underpinning that. We鈥檝e agreed to do that with the sector to show how that should more than cover the uplift in the minimum wage when that comes in in April. It鈥檚 to do with the ratios ... you鈥檙e getting the increased funding for all the children and yet you have a ratio of one member of staff to x number of children but we will be passing the maths behind that on.鈥 (鈥 around 25.30) 

The Department rejected the 王中王开奖结果's request on the basis that it already plans to release 鈥渁 document which considers the rate at which early years providers are funded for delivering entitlements and looks at the average cost of delivering childcare entitlements, based on various relevant inputs 鈥 including the minimum wage鈥. However, no deadline or timescale was given for the publication of this document. 

While the Freedom of Information Act does allow public bodies to refuse to release information if they are planning to publish it at a later date (Section 22 of the Act), this applies when the body has confirmed that: 

  • there is a publication deadline, though publication could be at any date before then; 
  • publication will take place once other actions have been completed; 
  • publication will take place by reference to other related events; or 
  • there is a draft publication schedule that hasn鈥檛 been finalised. 

The 王中王开奖结果 has appealed to the ICO arguing that these conditions have not been met, and also, that it is not clear whether the document the Department has referred to will detail the exact calculations underpinning the government鈥檚 assertion that the 拢44m increase in early years funding is enough to cover the increase in statutory wage costs, as per the original request. 

Earlier this year, the 王中王开奖结果 published government briefing documents, obtained after a two-year FOI battle, which revealed that early years funding rates for 2020/21 were less than two-thirds of what government officials estimated to be the true cost of 鈥榝ully funding鈥 the sector. 

Commenting, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the 王中王开奖结果, said: 

鈥淎fter spending two years trying to hide information which proved that it was knowingly underfunding the sector, the government's latest obstructive actions are disappointing, but sadly not surprising. 

鈥淭he Department for Education has been claiming for months now, including in Parliament, that the 1% increase in early years funding rates that came into effect in April was more than enough to pay for the more than 2% increase in national living and minimum wages. So where鈥檚 the proof? It is simply not good enough to say 鈥榃e鈥檒l prove it at some point鈥 when these rates have been in effect for more than four months now. 

鈥淔or years, early years providers have been struggling to survive on funding rates the government knew were inadequate. They have been left to face the huge challenges of the pandemic with wholly inadequate support. As a sector, we have suffered a net loss of more than 2,000 providers over the past year. Surely the Department for Education can understand why we might find it difficult to take these latest funding claims on trust alone. 

鈥淭he government needs to stop dragging it feet, and commit to releasing this important information without further delay.鈥