HC Deb 02 May 2000 vol 349 cc90-1W
Mr. Coaker

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to increase the funding of education for three-year-olds in areas of need outside the inner cities. [120122]

Ms Hodge

Between September 1999 and April 2001 we have allocated £140 million to provide an additional 83,000 free early education places for three-year-olds, on the basis of each Local Education Authority's position on the Government's Index of Local Deprivation. A further £250 million has been allocated for 2001–02 to take the total number of new free places created to 190,000 by March 2002.

The methodology that will be used to allocate these places in 2001–02 will be decided once we have had an opportunity to evaluate the progress of the scheme across all authorities this year. However, those authorities who have so far received low levels of funding are likely to see increases in their allocation in 2001–02.

Mr. Coaker

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the availability of funding from his Department for three-year-olds in(a) the maintained and (b) the voluntary sectors. [120138]

Ms Hodge

The Government are making available grants of £390 million over three years (from September 1999–March 2002) to almost double the number of three-year-olds in free early education places. In 1999–2000, the first tranche of Local Education Authorities which benefited from £40 million of this new money funded over 80 per cent. of the new free places in the private, voluntary and independent sectors.

Prior to this new funding being available, as of January 1999, 37 per cent. of three-year-olds were receiving free early education in the maintained sector funded from each Local Education Authority's Standard Spending Assessment budget.