§ Mr. Win GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is, in respect of the nursery voucher scheme in Wales,(a) the amount of new money he intends to make available, (b) the amount he intends to reduce from the budget allocation for local authorities, (c) the cost of providing a full time place for a four-year-old pupil, (d) the number of four-year-olds taking up nursery places in April 1997, (e) the number of places he estimates (i) local authorities, (ii) the voluntary sector and (iii) the private sector will provide and (f) the number of places available in Ysgolion Meithrin. [9047]
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§ Mr. RichardsThe total cost of the scheme in 1997–98 is not expected to exceed £43 million. The scheme will be funded by a mixture of new money and a proportion of present local authority expenditure on provision for four-year-olds in the maintained sector. There will be a one-off transfer of money from the local authorities total, but this will be at the all Wales level and not deducted from individual authorities' budgets. The maximum amount of this transfer will not exceed a sum equivalent to the value of the voucher multiplied by the number of four-year-olds receiving education in the maintained sector. A final decision on the relevant levels of new money and present expenditure funding will he taken in the context of the public expenditure settlement for 1997–98.
The cost of providing a full-time place for a four-year-old pupil will vary according to the sort of provision made and the sector in which it is made.
The number of four-year-olds taking up places in April 1997 will depend on parental choice, though I would not expect it to be less than current levels. The sectors in which places are taken up will also depend on parental choice, which will be enhanced by the voucher scheme.