Nursery places for all four-year-olds

He said that the picture on nursery education, which he favoured, was

improving. More than half of three and four-year-olds went to nursery

school.

''It's time to accelerate this trend. So I have asked Gillian Shephard

(Education Secretary) to work up proposals to provide places for all

four-year-olds whose parents wish them to take it up.

''This is a long-term proposal but we intend that this new provision

will begin to come on stream during this Parliament.

''This won't be an easy exercise,'' he said. ''We must consult parents

and practitioners to get it right because any additional, publicly

funded provision must be of high quality.''

Mrs Shephard welcomed the Prime Minister's pledge as ''terrific

news''.

She and her department were ''geared up for action'', she said.

''I am an enthusiastic supporter of nursery education and we will be

working very hard to have the first wave of expansion in place during

the lifetime of this Parliament.''

Scottish Education Minister Lord James Douglas-Hamilton made it clear

later that the plans for expansion of pre-school provision will apply in

Scotland, (Our Education Correspondent writes).

He said: ''Scottish Ministers will be fully involved in the

discussions between departments to work up detailed proposals.''

They would take account of Scottish needs. He said: ''Our intention is

to build on the good work of existing nursery schools, nursery classes

and playgroups, to give parents a choice, and to ensure quality.

''But equally, we are determined that any expansion in provision

should not be at the expense of crowding out private nursery schools and

voluntary playgroups.''

In Scotland, almost 37% of under-fives attend nursery schools or

nursery classes attached to primary schools. Enrolment figures for

private nurseries are not available.

Mrs Diana Daly, co-ordinator of a campaign to give all three and

four-year-olds in Scotland a statutory right to properly-funded pre-five

education, said: ''A lot of what Mr Major said sounded fine but it has

been said before. If the Government ignores this opportunity to put its

money where its mouth is, what price its rhetoric?''

Campaigners want a clause inserted in the Local Government Bill, which

is being voted on in the Lords on Wednesday night, to safeguard existing

provision after local government reform and give a statutory guarantee

for pre-fives.

Shadow Education Secretary Ann Taylor claimed Mr Major had told a

''blatant lie'' over nursery education by claiming that more than a half

of three and four-year-olds went to nursery schools when, she said, the

true figure was just over a quarter.

''Today's statement lets down our youngsters and will be a great

disappointment, especially to parents of young children,'' Mrs Taylor

said.

''Major is delivering the rhetoric without delivering action.''