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Dept for Education and Skills

Answer

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what assessment he has made of the financial viability of the Government's nursery education grant scheme for three and four-year- olds; [R] [155832] (2) what representations he has received from Essex county council regarding the payment per term passed on by them to private sector providers under the nursery education grant scheme; and if he will take powers to force county council's to pass on to private providers the grant level made available by the Government; [R] [155824] (3) if the nursery education grant scheme payment per term will be index-linked to inflation; [R] [155825] (4) if he will make it his policy to reinstate ring- fencing of nursery education grants funds for local authorities. [R] [155829] Margaret Hodge: From April 2003, we have increased local flexibility and autonomy, in line with the Government's principles of reducing ring-fenced funding by consolidating the resources in the under- fives sub-block of Education Formula Spending Share (EFSS)--the main source of funding for education. We have not received representations from Essex regarding funding to private providers. As funding in EFSS is unhypothecated it is the responsibility of the local authority to set funding at a suitable level to reflect local circumstances and in order to meet their statutory obligations. In the financial year 2004-05, overall funding in the under fives sub-block is worth £2.66 billion; overall education funding having increased by 5.5 per cent. Levels of funding increase every year, taking account of inflation and other pressures. All decisions on future funding will be considered as part of this year's Spending Review.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

418 c1348W;418 c1350W; 155832;155824;155825;155829

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Finance Increases Essex Private sector Pre-school education Payments Ringfenced funding Nursery education grant scheme

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk