HC Deb 12 July 1994 vol 246 cc817-8
7. Mr. MacShane

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of three to five-year-olds in Rotherham attend state-funded nursery schools.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Further and Higher Education (Mr. Tim Boswell)

In January 1993, 44 per cent. of children under five were being taught in maintained nursery schools and classes in Rotherham local education authority, of whom 6 per cent. were in nursery schools.

Mr. MacShane

Will the Under-Secretary of State convey to the Secretary of State our objection to the unnecessary and offensive references to the children of hon. Members? Children of hon. Members, from both sides of the House, should not be used as political footballs.

On the question of nursery education, will the hon. Gentleman invite Conservative councils to achieve the same target as that achieved in Rotherham for three to five-year-olds?

Mr. Boswell

The hon. Gentleman has asked us not to pursue personal references, but the judgment of parents, including hon. Members, is the most eloquent possible testimony to the worth of the Government's education policies. Some 90 per cent. of children aged three and four enjoy some sort of pre-school nursery provision, which exemplifies the virtues of choice and diversity and the excellent provision of places according to need. We are anxious to build on that as resources allow.