§ Ms HarmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how much his Department spends on child care; on what provision the sum is spent; how many children receive the child care; and if he will make a statement about child care.
§ Miss Widdecombe[holding answer 7 March 1994]: The sum of £430,000 in 1993–94 across the Employment Department group as a whole. This includes net expenditure on nursery places and holiday play schemes and financial help with additional child care costs incurred through attending training courses or other work-based functions. About 2,500 children are estimated to have been helped through this expenditure.