§ 11. Mr. Barry Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Wales what priority he attaches to the provision of nursery education for the children of Wales in relation to his other stated educational objectives.
§ Mr. Peter ThomasThe provision of additional school places in areas of increasing child population and the replacement or improvement of inadequate pre-1903 primary schools must have priority over any general expansion of nursery education. Nevertheless a considerable increase in full-time nursery places is taking place.
§ Mr. JonesI thank the right hon. and learned Gentleman for that reply, but does he not agree that nursery school education is one means of enabling a working-class child to be absolutely certain of having equality of opportunity in the educational process?
§ Mr. ThomasYes. I certainly agree with the importance of nursery school 834 education. That is why my programme for nursery school education shows a considerable increase on anything that has happened in the past. The urban aid programme will provide, by the end of 1973, 3,040 additional full-time places in Wales and an expansion of over 40 per cent. on the present provision, which has been greatly accelerated.