19. Mr. William O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will make a statement on the progress of the working party established to consider the provision of nursery and pre-school education.
§ 24. Mrs. Helen JacksonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress she is making in achieving a nursery place for all children over three years of age.
§ Mr. ForthThe task force, established by my right hon. Friend, is consulting widely and is considering a range of options to achieve the Prime Minister's commitment to provide a pre-school place for all four-year-olds whose parents wish them to take it up. As the expansion is achieved, we want to ensure that it will add to the choice parents have among a range of provision—public, private and voluntary. My right hon. Friend will be making an announcement about progress in due course.
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Education how much Government funding was given during 1994 for the provision of nursery school education within the Greater London area.
§ Mr. ForthFor the purpose of determining standard spending assessments, the education component of standard spending, net of specific grants, is divided into five sub-blocks—under-fives, primary, secondary, 16-plus, and other education. There is no SSA for nursery school education as the under-fives sub-block notionally includes spending on rising fives in primary schools as well as pupils in nursery schools and classes. The total of the under-fives SSA sub-block for London local education authorities in 1994–95 is £189.87 million.