{"primaryDescription":"<h2><strong>MPs question Minister on early years commitments</strong></h2>\r\n<p>The Education Committee will press the Minister for Early Education, Olivia Bailey MP, on the government&rsquo;s ambition to &ldquo;give every child the best possible start in life&rdquo;.</p>","secondaryDescription":"<p>MPs will hold the government to account on its plans, set out in its Best Start in Life strategy last year, to improve family services, make childcare easier and cheaper to access, and improve the quality of early years education.</p>\r\n<p>The session is likely to cover a wide range of topics related to the early years, including:</p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>The progress of key government policies such as Best Start Family Hubs and Early Years Pupil Premium funding</li>\r\n<li>Targets to see 75% of children school ready by 2028</li>\r\n<li>Challenges in recruiting and retaining early years staff</li>\r\n<li>Safeguarding at early years settings</li>\r\n<li>The high cost and poor availability of childcare</li>\r\n</ul>","parliamentTvUrl":null,"id":27792,"name":null,"startDate":"2026-07-08T09:30:00","endDate":"2026-07-08T12:30:00","cancelledDate":null,"locationId":10,"location":"The Grimond Room, Portcullis House","eventType":{"id":6,"name":"Formal meeting (oral evidence session)","isVisit":false,"description":"Formal meetings may be held in private (for example to consider a draft report) or in public (for example to hear oral evidence), and require a minimum number of members to be present."},"eventSource":"CIS","committees":[{"contact":{"email":"educom@parliament.uk","phone":null,"address":"Education Committee, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA","contactDisclaimer":"We receive a significant number of emails each day. All requests and invitations are considered but we do not respond directly to everyone.\r\nPlease be aware, the committee does not look at individual cases or specific complaints."},"id":203,"name":"Education Committee","parentCommittee":null,"subCommittees":[],"house":"Commons","leadHouse":null,"category":{"id":1,"name":"Select"},"committeeTypes":[{"id":1,"name":"(HC) Public Standing Orders - Departmental","committeeCategory":{"id":1,"name":"Select"}}],"showOnWebsite":true,"websiteLegacyUrl":"https://old.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/education-committee/","websiteLegacyRedirectEnabled":false,"startDate":"2010-07-13T00:00:00","endDate":null,"dateCommonsAppointed":"2024-10-21T00:00:00","dateLordsAppointed":null,"scrutinisingDepartments":[],"isLeadCommittee":true,"nameHistory":[{"id":198,"committeeId":203,"name":"Education Committee","startDate":"2010-07-13T00:00:00","endDate":null}]}],"committeeBusinesses":[{"id":9309,"title":"Early Years: Improving Support for Children and Families","type":{"id":1,"name":"Inquiry","isInquiry":true,"description":"Inquiries allow committees to consider oral and written evidence on a particular topic. They usually result in the publication of a report."},"openDate":"2026-05-19T00:00:00","closeDate":null,"latestReport":null,"openSubmissionPeriods":[],"closedSubmissionPeriods":[],"nextOralEvidenceSession":null,"contact":{"email":"educom@parliament.uk","phone":null,"address":null,"contactDisclaimer":null}}],"childEvents":[],"nextActivity":null,"activities":[{"committeeBusinesses":[{"id":9309,"title":"Early Years: Improving Support for Children and Families","type":{"id":1,"name":"Inquiry","isInquiry":true,"description":"Inquiries allow committees to consider oral and written evidence on a particular topic. They usually result in the publication of a report."},"openDate":"2026-05-19T00:00:00","closeDate":null,"latestReport":null,"openSubmissionPeriods":[],"closedSubmissionPeriods":[],"nextOralEvidenceSession":null,"contact":{"email":"educom@parliament.uk","phone":null,"address":null,"contactDisclaimer":null}}],"oralEvidences":[],"id":38241,"name":"Early Years: Improving Support for Children and Families","startDate":"2026-07-08T10:00:00","endDate":"2026-07-08T12:30:00","eventId":27792,"isPrivate":false,"activityType":"Oral evidence","attendees":[{"displayOrder":1,"organisations":[{"name":"Department for Education","role":"Minister for Early Education","idmsId":"https://id.parliament.uk/zWmj8iKs","cisId":29905}],"submitterType":0,"additionalContext":null,"id":36304,"personId":null,"name":"Olivia Bailey MP","photoUrl":"https://members-api.parliament.uk/api/Members/5337/Thumbnail","memberInfo":{"memberFrom":"Reading West and Mid Berkshire","party":"Labour","partyColour":"d50000","mnisId":5337,"isChair":false,"listAs":"Bailey, Olivia","displayAs":"Olivia Bailey","fullTitle":"Olivia Bailey MP","addressAs":null,"house":"Commons","isCurrent":true}},{"displayOrder":2,"organisations":[{"name":"Department for Education","role":"Director for Early Years","idmsId":"https://id.parliament.uk/zWmj8iKs","cisId":29905}],"submitterType":0,"additionalContext":null,"id":36439,"personId":123257,"name":"Chris Armstrong-Stacey","photoUrl":null,"memberInfo":null}]}]}