asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what advice he has given in the current year to local authorities on day nursery charges.

Advice issued by my Department jointly with other Government Departments on 31st December 1975, reaffirmed on 27th May 1976, was that charges for all local authority services should be raised sufficiently to maintain income in real terms. The standing guidance issued by my Department on charges for day nurseries, given in July 1952, reminds local authorities that in fixing individual charges they must have regard to the means of the persons concerned and advises that the charges should not in any case exceed the actual cost of the service.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many day nursery places per 1,000 population were provided in 1974–75 and 1975–76 by the Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, Knowsley, Liverpool, St. Helens, Sefton, and Wirral Metropolitan District Councils, and by Lancashire County Council.

At 31st March 1975 and 1976 the number of day nursery places per 1,000 population under 5 in the district and county areas shown were:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services by what authority he may conduct an inquiry into increases in day nursery charges announced by any particular local authority.

Section 98(1)(a) of the Children Act 1975 provides that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services may cause an inquiry to be held into any matter relating to the functions of the social services committee of a local authority, in so far as those functions relate to children.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) when was the last revision in the parental income scale; and what were the changes for parents seeking places for their children in day nurseries in the Bolton, Bury, Manchester Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, Knowsley, Liverpool, St. Helens, Sefton and Wirral Metropolitan District Councils and in the Lancashire County Council;(2) which local authorities in the Greater Manchester and Merseyside Metropolitan Counties have announced increases in day nursery charges, commencing in January 1977; what is the percentage increase in each case; and how these compare with the increases announced by Lancashire County Council;(3) what will be the basic charge for a day nursery place on 10th January 1977 in Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, Knowsley, Liverpool, St. Helens, Sefton and Wirral Metropolitan District Councils and in the Lancashire County Council areas;(4) what was the basic charge for a day nursery place in 1974–75 and 1975–76 levied by the Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, Knowsley, Liverpool, St. Helens, Sefton and Wirral Metropolitan District Councils and by Lancashire County Council;(5) what was the weekly cost of providing a day nursery place in 1974–75 and 1975–76 by the Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, Knowsley, Liverpool, St. Helens, Sefton and Wirral Metropolitan District Councils, and by Lancashire County Council.

I am having this information collected and will publish it in the Official Report as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total amount spent on the provision of day nursery places in 1974–75 and 1975–76 by each of the Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, Knowsley, Liverpool, St. Helens, Sefton and Wirral Metropolitan District Councils and by Lancashire County Council.

Returns received by the Department show that the comparable net expenditure by each of the authorities was as follows: