Written question asked by Lord Coaker (Labour) on Tuesday, 18 April 2000, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 2 May 2000. It was answered by Baroness Hodge of Barking (Labour) on Tuesday, 2 May 2000 on behalf of the Department for Education and Employment.

Dept for Education and Employment

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what assessment he has made of the availability of funding from his Department for three year olds in (a) the maintained and (b) the voluntary sectors. - Inc figures.

Answer: Mr. Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the availability of funding from his Department for three-year-olds in (a) the maintained and (b) the voluntary sectors. [120138] Ms Hodge: The Government are making available grants of £390 million over three years (from September 1999-March 2002) to almost double the number of three- year-olds in free early education places. In 1999-2000, the first tranche of Local Education Authorities which benefited from £40 million of this new money funded over 80 per cent. of the new free places in the private, voluntary and independent sectors. Prior to this new funding being available, as of January 1999, 37 per cent. of three-year-olds were receiving free early education in the maintained sector funded from each Local Education Authority's Standard Spending Assessment budget.

Secondary information