Nursery Vouchers (Hansard, 6 February 1996)

§ Mr. Donohoe
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the new unitary councils in Scotland currently negotiating with his Department over the introduction of the pilot scheme for nursery vouchers. [12516]>

§ Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
In their public responses to the August 1995 consultation, the following councils expressed an interest in discussions with the Scottish Office on the possibility of involvement in the pilot:

North Ayrshire

South Ayrshire

South Lanarkshire

East Renfrewshire

Clackmannanshire

Borders

Highland

Western Isles

Argyll and Bute

136W
Discussions have been held with these and other councils.

§ Mr. Chisholm
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much the nursery voucher scheme will cost to administer annually. [11557]

§ Mr. Robertson
[holding answer 14 January 1996]: The cost of administering the nursery voucher initiative from August 1997 will depend on the cost of a contract to be let by competitive tender.