HC Deb 16 April 2002 vol 383 cc892-3W
Mr. Cox

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what nursery provision has been provided by her Department to each London education authority in inner London boroughs over the last five years. [48682]

Margaret Hodge

Since September 1998 all four-year-olds in the inner London area have been able to access a free, part-time, early education place prior to statutory education.

In 2002–03,11 of the fifteen local education authorities will be able to provide a free early education place to all three-year-olds in their area. The remaining authorities are able to offer a free place to over 65 per cent. of their three-year-olds. All three-year-olds will have access to a free early education place by September 2004.

The following table shows the amount of specific funding received by inner London education authorities to fund free early education places for four-year-olds. From April 2001, all free four-year-old places have been funded by local authorities from their own resources.

Note:

The funding figures for four-year-olds in 1997–98 are significantly higher as all free places in this year were funded centrally. From 1998–99 only new places created in the maintained sector and all free places in the private, voluntary and independent sector were funded through specific grant. Existing places in the maintained sector were funded by the authority from their own resources.

The following table shows the amount of specific funding received by inner London education authorities to fund free early education places for three-year-olds. This funding commenced September 1999.

£
Total NEG funding
LEA name 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–2002
Camden 514,872 825,919 987,228
City of London 0.00 1,160 14,256
Hackney 597,915 1,155,980 1,768,932
Hammersmith and Fulham 275,401 618,429 706,860
Haringey 511,711 690,364 958,716
Islington 606,558 994,046 1,163,052
Kensington and Chelsea 0.00 341,506 825,660
Lambeth 957,549 1,524,750 1,955,448
Lewisham 592,391 1,110,739 1,860,408
Newham 547,647 1,004,639 1,325,808
Southwark 510,820 1,231,909 1,182,060
Tower Hamlets 227,797 317,143 702,108
Wandsworth 1,153,768 1,699,174 2,050,488
Westminster 218,579 815,164 1,090,584

The information contained in the tables have been extracted from LEA Nursery Education Grant returns and is subject to change as a result of external audit.