§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 1 November,Official Report, column 282, on the introduction of the nursery voucher scheme, if he will provide a breakdown of the estimated expenditure of £300,000 on administrative costs on the nursery voucher scheme; how many children will be involved in each year; and what the per capita cost of administration for each voucher place will be. [3561]
§ Mr. AncramAn estimated £100,000 will be spent each year on administration of the pre-school voucher scheme by the voucher company. A further breakdown is not available as the contract has not yet been finalised. An estimated 10,900 full-time equivalent pupils will be involved each year. The estimated cost of administration per full-time equivalent pupil is £9.17.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what provisions are contained in the contract with Capita for administering the nursery voucher scheme to allow its early termination; at what cost; and on what conditions. [3562]
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§ Mr. AncramDetails of the arrangements for terminating the pre-school voucher contract are not available as the contract for the national scheme has not yet been finalised.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what expenditure he has incurred to date in preparation for the proposed nursery voucher scheme; and on what. [3563]
§ Mr. AncramThe sum of £17,000 has been spent on preparation of a pre-school curriculum by the Northern Ireland Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment.