HC Deb 29 March 2004 vol 419 cc1184-5W
Bob Spink

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will publish the representations he has received from the National Day Nurseries Association on the financial viability of the operation of the nursery education grant scheme for three and four-year-olds by private providers; and if he will make a statement. [162867]

Margaret Hodge

We have not received any specific representations from NDNA on this issue. The Nursery Education Grant scheme ended in March 2003. With effect from April 2003, all funding for free early education places, including those delivered by private providers, was consolidated within the general Education Formula Spending (EFS) arrangements.

Mr. Simmonds

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pre-school places were available in each year since 1997 in(a) the state sector and (b) the private sector. [163137]

Margaret Hodge

The information is not available in the form requested.

Figures on the number of free nursery education places taken up by three and four-your-olds in England are shown in the table.

The latest figures on provision for three and four-year-olds in England were published in a Statistical Bulletin 'Provision for children under five years of age in England — January 2003' which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.

We have made the commitment that by April 2004, six months ahead of our original target, all three-year-olds in England whose parents want one, will have access to a free, part-time early education place.

Mr. Simmonds

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pre-school child care places have been created in deprived areas in each year since 1997. [163139]

Margaret Hodge

Separate information on child care growth in disadvantaged wards has been collected centrally only from April 2003. Between April and December 2003, the latest available data, 12,800 new child care places were created in pre-school groups located in the 20 per cent. most disadvantaged wards in England. During the same period 2,500 group child care places closed in these wards, so that the stock of group child care places rose by some 10,300 places. Information on child minder places is not broken down by the age of the child. Between April and December 2003, 12,100 places with child minders opened in the

Funding per full-time equivalent pupil/student
£
1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–021 2002–032
Unit funding per FTE pupil
Primary (aged 3-10) 2,420 2,570 2,770 2,930 3,010
Secondary (aged 11-15) 3,260 3,370 3,620 3,810 3,900
Unit funding per FTE student
Further education (total funding) 3,420 3,650 3,850 4,000 4,020
Higher education 5,200 5,190 5,130 5,170 5,170
1 Provisional figure (FE)
2 Planned/provisional figures

Note:

Figures are in real terms adjusted to 2002–03 prices using June 2003 GDP deflators.

The FE and HE figures are consistent with those published in the "Statistics of Education, Education and Training Expenditure since 1993–94; Statistical Bulletin (04/03)". The primary and secondary figures differ from those in the bulletin in that they only include funding which can be apportioned to those sectors.

The basis of the figures in each case is set out in the Expenditure Bulletin. Next month, our departmental report for 2004 will be published and this will include updated tables for the unit funding for the schools, further and higher education sectors.