§ 9. Mr. TippingTo ask the Secretary of State for Education how many nursery places for three and four-year-olds are available in Nottinghamshire, the east midlands and England.
§ Mr. Robin SquireThe Department does not collect information about the number of places available. The number of children in maintained nursery schools and nursery classes in maintained primary schools in England as at January 1993 was 339,914. The comparable figures for Nottinghamshire local education authority and for the east midlands were 13,498 and 32,721 respectively.
§ Mr. TippingWill the Minister congratulate Labour-controlled Nottinghamshire county council on providing more nursery places than any other county? Will he extend his congratulations to Labour-controlled cities such as Leeds and Birmingham? Will he also remind parents that children have three times more chance of a nursery place under a Labour council than under a Tory council?
§ Mr. SquireThe hon. Gentleman talks nonsense in trying to make a party political point out of nursery provision. If he wants to enter that debate, I can quote Conservative-controlled councils that also—
§ Mr. JamiesonName just one.
§ Mr. SquireThey have been quoted across the Chamber before. What is important is that all LEAs should take seriously their responsibilities for under-fives provision—not just nursery schools or classes but the whole range of likely provision. The Government are currently examining proposals to enhance that, as and when we have the resources.
§ Mr. LidingtonIs my hon. Friend aware that by prudent financial management, Buckinghamshire county council is this year financing significant expansion of nursery education in Aylesbury and elsewhere, without piling up huge debts that local people would have to repay in the future? Does not that demonstrate again that local government in Buckinghamshire sets a standard of excellence that the rest of the country could do well to copy?
§ Mr. SquireI am delighted to hear my hon. Friend's comments about Buckinghamshire, which I endorse. There are other Conservative councils—Ealing and Wandsworth come to mind, both of which offer significant nursery provision.
§ Mrs. Ann TaylorDoes the Minister acknowledge that the figures that my hon. Friend the Member for Sherwood (Mr. Tipping) quoted were based on answers to parliamentary questions that were given by Ministers in his Department, and that his Department's figures show that the children of parents who live in a Labour council area have three times the chance of a nursery place that they have if they live in a Conservative area? How does the Minister answer the leaflet that is produced by the Conservatives in Bromley—who provide only 2 per cent. of children with nursery education—and says that Bromley Conservative council will implement nursery education for all children when the Government release the necessary finance?
§ Mr. SquireWho would have guessed that elections were in the offing? Until the hon. Lady can clarify the Labour party's commitment, comparing what she says with what has been said by her hon. Friend the Member for Dunfermline, East (Mr. Brown), the Opposition Treasury spokesman—who said that there are no spending commitments at the present time—we do not have any lessons to learn from her on the provision of nursery places.
§ Mr. BrandrethCan my hon. Friend confirm that, over the past 15 years, there has been a remarkable growth in pre-school provision, so that, today, some 90 per cent. of three and four-year-olds enjoy pre-school provision of some kind, ranging from nursery education to pre-school play groups? Will he particularly salute the recent 35 per cent. increase in the grant to the Pre-School Play Groups Association, which does such valuable work throughout the country and particularly in the city of Chester?
§ Mr. SquireI confirm all of my hon. Friend's figures. He underlines the fact that the biggest providers at the present time are play groups; and well-resourced play groups make a significant contribution to bringing up under-fives.