§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many nursery vouchers have been issued in the Stroud constituency; what percentage of eligible children have taken up the vouchers; and if a date has yet been agreed for the ending of the voucher scheme. [1097]
§ Mr. Byers[holding answer 10 June 1997]: Of the estimated 7,180 children resident in Gloucestershire who are eligible for a nursery education voucher for the summer term, 6,970 (97 per cent.) have been sent vouchers. Information on the parliamentary constituency in which children are resident is not held centrally.
We announced on 22 May that the voucher scheme will finish in England at the end of this term. There will be new arrangements which will lead to a place being secured for every eligible four-year-old with effect from September 1998.
§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what expenditure savings have been budgeted by the Treasury for(a) 1997–98 and (b) 1998–99 as a result of the Government's proposed abolition of nursery vouchers. [3643]
§ Mr. ByersWe intend to use the money allocated to the nursery voucher scheme to implement an early years policy which better serves the needs of young children, their parents and the providers of the services they use.