Mr. William O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) when she intends to introduce the nursery voucher scheme; and what will be the level of allowances made to parents; [30811]
(2) what plans she has to ensure that all four year-olds have the opportunity of a place in a nursery under the Government's nursery voucher plan. [30787]
§ Mr. ForthMy right hon. Friend has been considering a range of options for implementing the Prime Minister's commitment to provide, over time, a pre-school place for every four-year-old whose parents wish to take it up. A voucher system is one option under consideration for funding the commitment. An announcement on the new policy will be made soon.