§ Ms HodgeTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what mechanism she proposes to claw back standard spending assessment from local authorities to fund the nursery voucher scheme. [1057]
§ Mr. Robin SquireThe SSA deduction mechanism proposed is cash neutral for all authorities, provided that the schools that they maintain continue to recruit four-year-olds at present levels.
The sum deducted in 1997–98 will be the product of the voucher value and the number of four-year-olds in maintained provision in 1995–96, taking into account termly variations in attendance. This is only part of total LEA expenditure on under-fives; authorities can continue to spend above the voucher value on full or part-time places for four-year-olds, and on three-year-olds, as they judge appropriate.
The views of local government as a whole will be taken into account in the usual way in determining changes to funding methodology in 1997–98.