§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list in respect of each local education authority area in England the number of(a) application forms received by his Department for certificates of eligibility for early years education for the current term, (b) certificates despatched to parents and (c) applications in respect of certificates which have not yet been despatched by his Department; and if he will make a statement. [23269]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisCertificates of eligibility are used in only 53 local education authorities, the others having put in place interim early years education plans covering the autumn term 1997 and the spring term 1998. Certificates of eligibility are normally despatched within five working days of receipt of a valid application. On Friday 15 January, I expect the position to be:
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Local education authority (a) application forms received (b) certificates dispatched (c) applications awaiting certificate dispatch Barking and Dagenham 50 47 3 Barnet 453 449 4 Barnsley 78 78 0 Bath and North-east Somerset 349 346 3 Berkshire 1,852 1,840 12 Brent 231 228 3 Brighton and Hove 417 412 5 Bromley 862 857 5 Buckinghamshire 1,020 1,009 11 City of London 3 3 0 Derby 267 255 12 Derbyshire 885 860 25 Devon 2,445 2,413 32 East Riding of Yorkshire 550 543 7 East Sussex 1,192 1,177 15 Enfield 386 383 3 Essex 4,452 4,395 57 Gateshead 123 123 0 Harrow 259 259 0 Havering 413 409 4 Hereford and Worcester 1,521 1,509 12 Hillingdon 143 140 3 Islington 117 115 2 Kensington and Chelsea 122 121 1 Kent 4,636 4,582 54 Kingston upon Hull, City of 159 159 0 Lambeth 304 299 5 Leicester 155 154 1 Leicestershire 1,868 1,853 15 Luton 119 119 0 Norfolk 1,523 1,502 21 North Lincolnshire 113 112 1 North Yorkshire 987 971 16 Northumberland 155 149 6 Nottinghamshire 1,017 984 33 Oldham 146 145 1 Oxfordshire 1,579 1,564 15 Redbridge 354 349 5 Richmond upon Thames 310 307 3 Rochdale 128 128 0 Sefton 242 240 2
Local education authority (a) application forms received (b) certificates dispatched (c) applications awaiting certificate dispatch Shropshire 942 921 21 South Gloucestershire 662 650 12 Southampton 391 385 6 Suffolk 916 914 2 Surrey 2,704 2,682 22 Trafford 219 218 1 Waltham Forest 147 147 0 Wandsworth 286 285 1 Warwickshire 936 927 9 West Sussex 2,013 2,001 12 Westminster 151 151 0 Wiltshire 1,270 1,269 1 Totals 42,622 42,138 484