Topical question asked in the House of Commons, by Ashok Kumar (Labour). It was answered on Monday, 4 February 2008 on behalf of the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Topical Questions

Question: May I tell the Secretary of State that 3,395 children in Middlesbrough benefit from free nursery education? What sort of future support can he provide? May I also invite him to visit Middlesbrough to see this great success for himself?

Answer: I thank my hon. Friend for that question, and for his support for the development of early years learning that the Government are putting in place. He will know that Middlesbrough is a pilot area for extending the free entitlement to two-year-olds. We can also expect the extension to 15 hours to take place there from September, as we progressively develop the support and the options available to parents of young children. I shall happily come to Middlesbrough to see what is going on there.

Secondary information