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Early Years Education
Mr. Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list for (a) the United Kingdom and (b) each local education authority, the number of three-year-olds with free early years education places providing five or more session of education per week in (i) 1979, (ii) 1990 and (iii) each year since 1992. [126845]
Ms Hodge [holding answer 21 June 2000]: The information is not available in the form requested. Up to September 1999, 'free' places for three-year-olds were only available in maintained nursery and primary schools funded by local education authorities from their own budgets. Since September 1999 specific funding by the Government for three-year-olds has been introduced and is available to both maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers via the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships. From summer 2000 this extra funding will be available in all local authority areas.
The available information on the numbers of three-year-olds in early-years provision for England and in each local education authority is contained in tables, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries. Table 1 gives the number of children in free early-years education places from 1996 to 2000. Table 2 shows the number of new funded places for three-year-olds being created in all sectors over the next year, including newly projected figures for summer 2000, autumn 2000 and spring 2001.
The new places this year are supported by £100 million of funding. Half of all three-year-olds will have access to a free place by spring 2001, and the Government are well on track to meet the 2002 target of expanding overall nursery provision to 66 per cent. of three-year-olds.
For information on three-year-olds with free early years places in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, I refer the hon. Member to the Ministers in the Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland Executives respectively.
Paddy Ashdown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate he has made of the number of free places available in early years education for three-year-olds in each year from 1996-97 to 2000-01, in each county and local eduction authority; and if he will make a statement. [126583]
Ms Hodge: The information is not available in the form requested. Up to September 1999, 'free' places for three-year-olds were only available in maintained nursery and primary schools funded by local education authorities from their own budgets. Since September 1999 specific funding by the Government for three-year-olds has been introduced and is available to both maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers via the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships. From summer 2000 this extra funding will be available in all local authority areas.
The available information on the numbers of three-year-olds in early-years provision for England and in each local education authority is contained in tables, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries. Table 1 gives the number of children in free early-years education places from 1996 to 2000. Table 2 shows the number of new funded places for three-year-olds being created in all sectors over the next year, including newly projected figures for summer 2000, autumn 2000 and spring 2001.
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The new places this year are supported by £100 million of funding. Half of all three-year-olds will have access to a free place by spring 2001, and the Government are well on track to meet the 2002 target of expanding overall nursery provision to 66 per cent. of three-year-olds.
Employment Action Plan
Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will place copies of the United Kingdom's Employment Action Plan in the Library. [127788]
Ms Jowell: I have today placed in the Library copies of the UK Employment Action Plan, which sets out the Government's policies for implementing the 2000 Employment Guidelines agreed at the European Council held in Helsinki in December 1999. The Plan contains the latest information on policies for employment and employability, encouraging entrepreneurship and labour market adaptability, lifelong learning and equal opportunities.
Child Care
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the relationship between the costs of child care in London and the child care component of the Working Families Tax Credit. [127004]
Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
The child care tax credit within the Working Families Tax Credit is designed to help working families who incur eligible child care costs by providing a credit worth 70 per cent. of eligible child care costs of a maximum of £100 for families with one child and £150 for families with two or more children. Like all the other elements of the Working Families Tax Credit it is available at the same rates throughout the UK for to all families who qualify.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
New Millennium Experience Company
Mr. Denzil Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if the payment of the additional aid to the New Millennium Experience Company has been authorised by the European Commission. [124133]
Mr. Chris Smith: No. The funding of the New Millennium Experience Company is not considered to be State Aid and therefore does not require notification to the European Commission.
Digital Television
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of homes in (a) Wales, (b) England and (c) Scotland receive digital television; and what his target is for increasing these figures. [126074]
Mr. Chris Smith: Most homes in Wales, England and Scotland are able to receive digital television through terrestrial, satellite or cable delivery platforms. The
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Government's policy is that all viewers who receive analogue television should be able to receive the main free-to-air channels digitally before the analogue transmissions are fully switched to digital. At present, over 4 million people have subscribed to digital television.
Ministerial Visits
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what was the total cost to public funds of the recent visit of the Minister for Tourism, Film and Broadcasting to Las Vegas. [127307]
Janet Anderson: I visited Las Vegas as part of a wider visit to North America on official business as the Minister for Tourism, Film and Broadcasting. In Canada I represented the Government at the Banff International Television Festival, met the British Columbia Minister for Film to discuss current revisions to the film co-production Treaty between the UK and Canada, and undertook several engagements for the British Tourist Authority. In Nevada I made the Keynote Speech at the opening of the Annual Conference of the Institute of Travel and Tourism, had meetings with the Lt. Governor of Nevada, the Mayor of Las Vegas and with the Aladdin Project, the first major UK investment in the Las Vegas tourist industry. I attended 22 official engagements during my visit which was arranged jointly by my Department and the Foreign Office.
I will write to the hon. Member shortly with details of the costs of the visit.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Committees (Evidence)
Ms Roseanna Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is his policy on (a) ministers and (b) officials from his Department giving evidence to committees of the Northern Ireland Assembly in relation to the impact of reserved matters on devolved policy areas. [126690]
Mr. Mandelson: The Government's approach on such matters is set out in Devolution Guidance Note 12 which is published by the Constitution Secretariat in the Cabinet Office.
It is available on the internet at:
- www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/constitution/2000/devolution/
guidance/dgn12.htm
Mr. Mandelson: To date no NIO Ministers or officials have been invited to give evidence to Northern Ireland Assembly Committees.
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TREASURY
Pensioners (Tax)
15. Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many pensioners were sent a self- assessment tax form and were subsequently assessed as having no income tax liability in 1998-99. [125840]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 5 June 2000, Official Report, column 81W.
Inflation Forecasts
16. Mr. Michael Jabez Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the inflation forecasts set out in the Red Book. [125841]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Latest RPIX inflation outturns are in line with the Budget forecast. The monetary policy framework set up by this Government is delivering low and stable inflation. It is because of this that interest rates are historically low--less than half the level seen in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
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