§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proposals he has to require the Department of Health and Social Services to supply social security information to(a) the Department of Education for Northern Ireland, (b) education and library boards and (c) private firms under the education voucher scheme; and what information will be supplied and for what purpose. [37793]
§ Mr. AncramI refer the hon. Member to the provisions in the proposal for a draft Education (No. 2) (Northern Ireland) Order 1996, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the(a) extra staffing and (b) full financial costs to (a) DENI and (b) education and library boards of his Department's education voucher scheme. [37794]
710W
§ Mr. AncramThe Department of Education proposes to make one permanent and four temporary additional appointments to the education and training inspectorate for the purpose of inspecting providers who wish to register under the scheme. No estimate has been made of the financial costs of the administration of the scheme to DENT or to education and library boards: it is expected that the scheme will be implemented through existing and projected administrative staff complements.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the administrative costs to the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment of his education voucher proposals. [37795]
§ Mr AncramIt is estimated that costs of approximately £17,000 will be incurred by the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment, NICCEA, in preparing and consulting on a pre-school curriculum for Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the roles of the inspectorate and the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment in respect of his Department's education voucher scheme. [37796]
§ Mr. AncramI refer the hon. Member to the proposals set out in paragraphs 4.3 to 4.6, and in paragraph 5.3 of the publication "Pre-School Education: The Voucher Scheme in Northern Ireland", a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to what extent private providers of nursery education under the voucher scheme will have to meet the(a) staffing and (b) health and safety requirements of the Department of Education or the Department of Health and Social Services. [37797]
§ Mr. AncramIt is proposed that the staffing regimes of private providers of pre-school education under the voucher scheme will be subject to the requirements of the Department of Health and Social Services under the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995. All providers of pre-school education will be subject to the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the(a) educational and (b) other differences between present courses of nursery education in Northern Ireland and those provided under the voucher scheme. [37798]
§ Mr. AncramNo courses of nursery education have yet been provided under the voucher scheme. An assessment of any differences between current and future practice cannot be undertaken until after the completion, approval and implementation of the pre-school curriculum currently being prepared by the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the cost differences per place between present nursery education and the proposed nursery voucher scheme. [37799]
711W
§ Mr. AncramThe average cost of a full-time nursery place in a nursery school based on education and library boards' planned expenditure for 1996–97 is £2,130. The value of a voucher under the pre-school voucher scheme will be set at £1,100 and is intended to cover the cost of five half-day sessions per week for three terms.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the education and training inspectorate will require the same standards from the providers of places for voucher holders as it does for present provision of nursery education. [37800]
§ Mr. AncramAll providers who wish to register under the pre-school voucher scheme will be required to meet specified standards, some of which will be specific to particular types of provision. Private and voluntary sector providers will not therefore be expected in all respects to meet the standards required from nursery schools.