§ Mr. Bill WalkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the impact on the provision of nursery education in the pilot areas of the introduction of vouchers. [3090]
§ Mr. Raymond S. RobertsonThe pilot schemes of the pre-school education voucher initiative started only in August. Early indications show that a considerable number of new places have been created and early inspections by HM inspectorate confirm that there is good-quality pre-school education being offered in a wide146W council housing, local roads and other transport infrastructure, and the NHS in Scotland is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Defence bases in Scotland are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence.