HC Deb 18 December 1979 vol 976 cc273-6
13. Miss Joan Lestor

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list by local education authority the percentage of children aged 3 or 4 years who are at present attending nursery schools.

Mr. Mark Carlisle

With permission, Mr. Speaker, I will arrange for the latest information, which refers to January 1979, to be published in the Official Report.

Miss Lestor

Is the right hon. and learned Gentleman aware that, whatever information he may publish in the Official Report, the action of some local authorities means that many children aged 3 and 4 years will not receive nursery education because of the cuts? Will he therefore consider issuing a circular to local authorities, placing on them a requirement for minimum provision in every area?

Mr. Carlisle

I do not consider that it is neccessary to issue a circular or guidance. The Education Acts cover the matter, and I am considering the whole situation. May I say to the hon. Lady that the only reason why I could not answer the question fully was that it would require reading out every individual local authority by name. For both nursery schools and nursery classes the answer would have been 18 per cent. overall.

Mr. Thompson

Does my right hon. and learned Friend agree that the best way to expand nursery education is to bow to public pressure and allow local authorities to charge for that service?

Mr. Carlisle

The Government have received many requests that we should allow charging for nursery education, and we have not yet made a decision.

Mrs. Ann Taylor

Is the Secretary of State aware that his ministerial colleague went a little further this morning in Committee when he said that the Government were actively considering the introduction of charges for nursery school places? Is he further aware that that statement will cause a great deal of fear and despondency to everyone involved in nursery education, and that, if such charges were introduced, they would hit hardest those children who would benefit most from nursery education?

Mr. Carlisle

The hon. Lady would be somewhat surprised if she were not told that the Government were considering their response to the many requests made on this subject. I believe that that is what my hon. Friend said. There have been many requests from local authorities that they should be given freedom to charge, in the belief that by doing so there would be a greater demand for nursery education, which they could then meet. As I said, we are considering our response to those requests.

Following is the information: Full-time and part-time pupils aged 3 and 4 in maintained nursery schools and nursery classes in maintained primary schools as a percentage of the estimated population aged 3 and 4 years.

JANUARY 1979
Local Education Authority Per cent
Barking … … … … … 22
Barnet … … … … … 25
Bexley … … … … … 9
Brent … … … … … 27
Local Education Authority—cont. per cent.
Bromley … … 2
Croydon … … 6
Ealing … … 22
Enfield … … 19
Haringey … … 30
Harrow … … 15
Havering … … 4
Hillingdon … … 32
Hounslow … … 30
Kingston-upon-Thames … … 32
Merton … … 34
Newham … … 42
Redbridge … … 9
Richmond-upon-Thames … … 9
Sutton … … 14
Waltham Forest … … 31
Inner London … … 35
Birmingham … … 23
Coventry … … 18
Dudley … … 22
Sandwell … … 27
Solihull … … 19
Walsall … … 42
Wolverhampton … … 38
Knowsley … … 16
Liverpool … … 36
St. Helens … … 17
Sefton … … 24
Wirral … … 16
Bolton … … 27
Bury … … 11
Manchester … … 50
Oldham … … 19
Rochdale … … 25
Salford … … 32
Stockport … … 11
Tameside … … 25
Trafford … … 10
Wigan … … 16
Barnsley … … 42
Doncaster … … 36
Rotherham … … 37
Sheffield … … 29
Bradford … … 26
Calderdale … … 23
Kirklees … … 25
Leeds … … 17
Wakefield … … 38
Gateshead … … 20
Newcastle-upon-Tyne … … 30
North Tyneside … … 37
South Tyneside … … 37
Sunderland … … 27
Isles of Scilly … … —
Avon … … 11
Bedfordshire … … 26
Berkshire … … 20
Buckinghamshire … … 13
Cambridgeshire … … 11
Cheshire … … 17
Cleveland … … 39
Cornwall … … 11
Cumbria … … 17
Derbyshire … … 18
Devon … … 6
Dorset … … 5
Durham … … 29
East Sussex … … 7
Essex … … 4
Gloucestershire … … —
Hampshire … … 4
Hereford and Worcester … … 5
Local Education Authority—cont. per cent.
Hertfordshire … … … 32
Humberside … … … 22
Isle of Wight … … … 5
Kent … … … 4
Lancashire … … … 13
Leicestershire … … … 22
Lincolnshire … … … 7
Norfolk … … … 4
North Yorkshire … … … 16
Northamptonshire … … … 8
Northumberland … … … 12
Nottinghamshire … … … 38
Oxfordshire … … … 12
Salop … … … 10
Somerset … … … 2
Staffordshire … … … 22
Suffolk … … … 10
Surrey … … … 12
Warwickshire … … … 14
West Sussex … … … 3
Wiltshire … … … 1
England … … … 18