§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will reply to the petition on nursery education presented to the House on 19 November 1993.
§ Mr. Robin SquireMy right hon. Friend has noted this petition. It calls for a statutory duty to be laid on local education authorities to provide nursery education on 207W demand. We have repeatedly made clear that the Government's policy is to promote choice and diversity in pre-school provision and to extend access as resources allow. Universal state nursery education would be neither consistent with that policy nor affordable at present.