To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what resources are to be made available to local education authorities in 1998–99 to provide nursery education after the current voucher scheme ends. [31717]

[holding answer 9 March 1998]: Total programme resources for pre-school education in 1998–99 are £75.6 million. Net of overheads and the cost of the final term of voucher grants for school year 1997–98, there will be approximately £50.6 million available to fund the first two terms of the 1998–99 school session and any other initiatives in pre-school education.Using sources of funding other than pre-school education grant, local authorities have budgeted to spend a further £50.4 million on pre-school education in 1997–98. Authorities will be free to spend similar amounts in 1998–99 (net of the £13.6 million removed from the 1998–99 local government finance settlement to fund the final phase of the pre-school vouchers scheme).