A letter sent to local authority chief executives last week from DfES official Grahame Archer 'was only reinforcing what was said by Beverley Hughes a month or so ago', according to a DfES spokeswoman.
Initially the DfES denied to Nursery World that a letter had been sent, only acknowledging it after councils confirmed that they had received it.
In a statement last month, children's minister Beverley Hughes said that she would 'not entertain the idea' of top-up payments and that 'it is for local authorities to ensure that provision is available for 38 weeks for those parents who want it'.
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