§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on nursery provision in each year since 1996 in the Borough of Sefton. [151332]
§ Ms HodgeTable 1 shows the amount of funding available through the Nursery Education Grant, Childcare Grant, European Social Fund and the 0–5 sub-block of the Education Standard Spending Assessment to Sefton local education authority in each year since April 1996.
Table 2 shows the number of early education places created through Nursery Education Grant and other local education authority resources (including the 0–5 sub-block of Education Standard Spending Assessment). This table also shows the number of new places created using the Childcare Grant.
From September 1998, all four year olds have been able to access a free, part-time, early education place. From April 2001, Sefton will be able to offer every three year old a nursery education place funded through either Nursery Education Grant or the LEA's own resources.
50WFrom September 2004, all three year olds in England will be entitled to a free early education place.
Table 1 Early years and childcare funding £ 1996–97 5,570,000 1997–98 5,320,124 1998–99 7,033,820 1999–2000 7,828,881 2000–01 8,621,138 2001–02 9,215,520
Table 2 Early years places New childcare places created 1996–97 5,414 — 1997–98 5,607 — 1998–99 5,319 — 1999–2000 5,575 323 (number of children = 612) 2000–01 6,027 1425 (number of children = 731) 1As at December 2000.