HC Deb 18 July 1996 vol 281 cc653-4W
Mr. Spearing

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will give the approximate expenditure expected to be incurred prior to the end of July 1996 in relation to the scheme for under-five pre-school settings by(a) her Department, (b) Capita Managed Services, (c) each of the education authorities now operating phase 1 of the scheme, (d) inspection activities, (e) surveys or investigations and (f) information. [38089]

Mr. Robin Squire

To date, the following sums have been paid to the local education authorities operating phase 1 of the scheme:

  • Norfolk LEA: £2,266,668
  • Wandsworth: £863,600
  • Westminster: £358,318
  • Kensington and Chelsea: £255,750.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him on 20 February, Official Report, column 120, to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Warrington, South (Mr. Hall) on 26 June, Official Report, column 758, to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Brentford and Isleworth (Mr. Deva) on 7 March, Official Report, column 348, to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend for Chingford (Mr. Duncan Smith) on 19 April, Official Report, column 621 and to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) on 16 July, Official Report, column 466.

Mr. Spearing

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will place in the Library the tender documents received by the Office for Standards in Education for the main contract for inspection of(a) nursery settings in the area of the four education authorities receiving nursery vouchers and (b) other settings elsewhere which she expects to participate in the scheme after April 1997. [38088]

Mr. Squire

I understand the tenders received by Ofsted for the administration of the contracting for the inspections of private and voluntary sector providers in the nursery education voucher scheme are still under evaluation. It is inappropriate to release information regarding commercially sensitive pricing.

Mr. Spearing

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will place in the Library a list of the surveys, investigations or evaluations which have been commissioned in respect of the scheme for nursery vouchers, and for each give(a) the cope and purpose of each investigation, (b) the terms of reference, (c) the questions asked, (d) the body or organisations (i) commissioning and (ii) undertaking the study, (e) the cost, (f) the body providing the finance and (g) the date or planned date of publication. [38087]

Mr. Squire

I gave details of research projects relating to phase 1 of the nursery education voucher scheme in my reply to a question from the hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) on 16 July,Official Report, column 466. The two surveys were commissioned by the Central Office of Information on behalf of the Department, and undertaken by the British Market Research Bureau International. I am arranging for copies of the questionnaires employed to be placed in the Library. The analyses of data on voucher issue and redemption are being conducted internally.

Tenders for a longitudinal research study of effective pre-school education are currently being considered. Details will be announced if and when a contract results.

In addition, the nursery education voucher scheme comes within the ambit of the Department's internal audit division and will be reviewed in the usual way.

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