Mr. BowlsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what estimate he has made of how much it would cost to provide full-time nursery education for all three and four-year-olds in the United Kingdom in 1991–92.
§ Mrs. RumboldMy right hon. Friend's responsibilities for schools do not extend beyond England. The Department has not attempted detailed costings of the introduction of universal, full-time nursery education for 521W three and four-year-olds in England. However, a broad extrapolation from the estimated cost per pupil for all forms of provision made by local education authorities for the under-fives1 suggests an annual recurrent cost of the order of £1.65 billion in 1989–90 prices. In addition there would be a substantial capital cost; and costs would also be incurred in training or retraining the additional teaching and ancillary staff who would be needed.
1Table 11.2, DES Chapter of the Public Expenditure White Paper 1990 (Cm 1011).