§ Mr. LetwinTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will estimate the net cost of(a) making grants available to all playgroups and nurseries for three-year-olds and (b) reducing the coverage of grants in respect of three-year-olds to two days a week. [131527]
§ Ms Hodge[holding answer 20 July 2000]Since this Government came to office, 120,000 new, free, early education places have been created for three and four-year-olds nationally. All four-year-olds already have free access to early education. Two thirds of three-year-olds will be able to access a free place by 2002. The priority is to reach those three-year-olds in social need who would most benefit from a free nursery place. The estimated annual cost of achieving universal provision is approximately £450 million.
If three-year-old entitlement was to be reduced from five sessions to two, the estimated cost of universal provision would be approximately £180 million.