§ Mrs. EllmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding she has made available for provision for under—fives in Liverpool in each year since 1997; and how much she plans to make available in 2002–03. [51942]
§ Margaret HodgeWe have made a number of direct grant funding streams available to Liverpool local education for under fives' provision
early years education funding which will increase the number of free early education places available for three and for-year-olds and enhance the quality of the education provided;funding for the National Childcare Strategy. While this funding is not specifically targeted at under fives (the age range is 0 to 14) they will benefit from the increase in child care places that are being created. £3.4 million has also been made available for the provision of neighbourhood nurseries across the 2001–04 financial years;revenue funding for children under four in Liverpool through the Sure Start programme. Further revenue funding will be available in 2002–03 once the four fifth wave programmes receive approval. In addition, each of the eight Sure Start programmes in the city will receive up to £1 million of capital funding over its first five years.The table shows the amount of central Government funding made available to Liverpool local education authority for the provision of early years education, the National Childcare Strategy and Sure Start between the 1997–98 and 2001–02 financial years as well as estimates of the funding that will be available in the 2002–03 financial years.
£ Early years education funding National childcare strategy Sure start revenue funding 1997–98 5,629,524 N/A N/A 1998–99 497,129 N/A N/A 1999–2000 953,110 577,600 224,681 2000–01 2,123,107 774,460 929,203 2001–02 1,590,711 1,646,374 1,569,594 2002–031 1,965,548 1,032,650 2,409,882 1 Allocation. Notes:
In 1997–98, all four-year-old nursery education places were funded through specific grant. In 1998–99 only four-year-old places in the private, voluntary and independent sectors and new places in the maintained sector were funded through specific grant. Existing maintained places are funded by local authorities from their resources.Since 2001–02 four-year-old nursery education places have been funded by local education authorities from their resources. Specific funding for the provision of free early education places for three year olds was introduced in September 1999.