§ Mr. SwireTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what funds he will make available to the boards of pre-schools to meet possible staff redundancies;[142509]
(2) what additional financial resources he will provide to the pre-school sector to enable staff better to comply with Ofsted inspections;[142506]
(3) what plans his Department has fully to fund (a) pre-schools and (b) the Appletree pre-school in Sidmouth.[142510]
§ Margaret HodgeFunding for pre-school settings is rightly a matter for local determination in the light of local needs and circumstances. From April 2003, we have increased local flexibility and autonomy by consolidating the resources to enable local authorities to meet their statutory responsibilities to provide free nursery education for three and four year olds through the under-fives sub-block of their Education Formula Spending Share (EFSS)—the main source of funding for education. In the current financial year, Devon's overall1062W under fives sub-block is worth nearly £30 million. We calculate that more than £6 million of additional ring-Fenced funding is available to providers in Devon-through a variety of Sure Start funding streams administered by the local authority.