§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Wales what additional resources have been made available to local education authorities in Wales to enable them to implement the recommendation of the Council for the Welsh Language on nursery education as set out in paragraph 24 of that report; and how many local education authorities have taken advantage of any such provision.
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Wales what additional resources have been made available by his Department to increase teaching aids for the under-fives in the form of cassettes, tapes, films and picture books, in line with the recommendation in paragraph 23 of the report on nursery education by the Council for the Welsh Language.
262W
§ Mr. Nicholas EdwardsSection 21 of the Education Act 1980 makes provision for payments of specific grants in support of Welsh language teaching. About £0.5 million will be available in this financial year. Regulations will be laid before Parliament shortly and a circular to education authorities and other bodies will be issued inviting applications.
§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will take steps to enable local education authorities to implement the recommendation in paragraph 25 of the report of the Council for the Welsh Language on nursery education, that the State education system should take the initiative in providing Welsh-medium education for all children between the ages of three to five years whose parents wish them to have it.
§ Mr. Nicholas EdwardsI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 8 July with respect to Welsh medium nursery provision.—[Vol. 988, c.129.]