§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to the answer of 7 December,Official Report, column 403, what are the qualifications and current functions of those appointed to evaluate the first phase of the pre-school education scheme. [8193]
§ Mr. Robin SquireEvaluation of the first phase of the nursery education voucher scheme will be led by officials of the Department.
§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment by what means she plans to ensure that additional facilities made available with the proposed voucher-based pre-school education scheme will not prejudice the operation of existing nursery schools and classes in the maintained system. [8189]
§ Mr. SquireThere is no reason why the voucher scheme should affect the operation of existing nursery schools and classes in the maintained sector. The proposed funding mechanism ensures that the maintained sector does not lose funding if recruitment of four-year-olds remains at present levels.
§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) for what purposes it is necessary to spend £5 million on the administration of the first phase of the pre-school education scheme taking place in four local authorities, and £20 million on the administration and inspection of the second phase of the pre-school education scheme which will operate in all local authorities in the United Kingdom; [8191]
(2) if she will estimate the proportion of the £5 million cost allocated to the first phase of the new pre-school education scheme which she does not expect to arise in the further extension of the scheme. [8192]
§ Mr. SquireFor the first and second phases of the nursery education voucher scheme, £5 million and £20 million respectively has been set aside for the new educational inspection programme for voucher redeeming establishments and the administration of the scheme. The vast majority of this funding will be spent on the inspection programme; the greater proportion of funding for the first phase will be spent on the recruitment and training of inspectors to carry out the inspections in the second phase.
§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will place in the Library the responses to her Department's consultation paper, "Quality Assurance Regime for Institutions which Redeem Pre-School Education Vouchers: Discussion Paper". [8194]
§ Mr. SquireYes. A summary of the responses will be placed in the Library.
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§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment by what means the payment of the proposed pre-school voucher system will be accommodated within the academic and financial year structures of local authorities with special reference to the times that children will start attending primary school full-time. [8190]
§ Mr. SquireLocal education authorities participating in the first phase of the scheme will receive voucher income in a number of installments over the year in respect of voucher-bearing children in their schools.