§ Ms HarmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will provide, for the United Kingdom and each local authority in the United Kingdom, latest estimates of(a) the number of full-time child care places, including nursery school places, for children under five, (b) the number of part-time child care places, including nursery school places, for children under five, (c) the total number of full-time and part-time child care places, including nursery school places, for children under five, (d the number of children under five and (e) the percentage of children under five who have a full-time or part-time child care place.
§ Mr. Bowis[holding answer 11 March 1994]: Information on places and percentages of children is not availble in the form requested, as figures on day care and nursery schools are collected on a different basis.
891WThe latest information available centrally about the number of day care places for the under fives is as follows:
— for England, in "Children's day care facilities at 31 March 1992, England". This includes information about the number of places in relation to the population under five expressed as a rate per 1,000 children for each local authority;
- — for Scotland, in "Statistical Bulletin Services for Children 1991 and 1992" (but exclude an estimated 6,500 places in day nurseries, children's centres and family centres in the registered sector).
- — for Wales, in "Activities of Social Services Departments: Year ended 31/3/92"; and,
- — for Northern Ireland, copies of this information will be placed in the Library.
Information collected centrally does not separately identify full-time and part-time places. Information about nursery school provision is collected in England by the Department for Education whose statistical bulletin 11/93 "Pupils under five years of age in schools in England—January 1992", shows the information available for January 1992 about participation rates of children under five being taught in maintained nursery schools and classes, independent schools and special schools. For figures about the provision of nursery education in maintained nursery and primary schools January 1993 in England I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Education gave to the right hon. Member for Derby, South (Mrs. Beckett) on 21 January, Official Report, columns 857–59.
Figures for nursery schools in Wales are given in "Statistics of Education and Training in Wales: Schools No. 2 1994", figures for Scotland are given in "Statistical Bulletin Provision for Preschool Children No. Edn/A/1992/11" and for Northern Ireland will be placed in the Library.
Copies of all the relevant publications are in the Library.
Population figures at 30 June 1991 and 30 June 1992 by local authority, which are appropriate to the different types of day care and nursery school provision described in these publications, will be placed in the Library.