§ Mr. RathboneTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will review the availability and quality of pre-school education in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Lang[holding answer 9 March 1990]: It is for local authorities to decide on the extent and nature of pre-school education they provide. However, the number of children attending local authority nursery schools in Scotland has risen from 31,770 in 1979 to 40,855 in 1988, an increase of 28 per cent., while over the same period allowance for nursery education as part of overall provision for local authority current expenditure for education has increased from £13.5 million to £35.5 million. So far as the quality of education is concerned, I await the conclusions of the committee of inquiry into the educational experience of the under-fives chaired by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Department of Education and Science, and will consider carefully their relevance to Scotland.