§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what is her estimate of the annual cost of extending nursery provision to all three and four-year-old children in the United Kingdom based on the current average cost of such provision; and what provision there is within her Department's budget for such an extension of nursery education for each of the years(a) 1995–96, (b) 1996–97, (c) 1997–98 and (d) 1998–99.
§ Mr. ForthCosts would depend on the type of provision and the balance between full-time and part-time provision. Funding will be determined as part of the development of detailed proposals on how to achieve the target for expansion of pre-school provision set by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister.
The Department's expenditure plans for 1995–96 do not include provision for the extension of nursery education. Provision for future years will be considered during the 1995 public expenditure survey.