§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the value of current Government support for the playgroup movement; and if he can give an estimate of the number of children served by playgroups.
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§ Mr. William RossA grant of £16,500 has been offered to the Scottish Pre-School Playgroups Association in 1974–75, but the final amount will depend on the actual expenditure of the association. Grants payable to local authorities in respect of expenditure on playgroups financed under the urban programme are expected to amount to about £34,000 in the same period. The local authorities' own expenditure on playgroups is eligible for rate support grant. Over 40,000 children attended playgroups regularly in 1973.