Deputy Rod Bryans has come under fierce criticism since he announced on 23 March that from next September parents with a combined income of £75,000 or above will no longer be eligible for free private nursery care for their children – currently, all parents are entitled to the provision for their children in the year before they start school.
Asked whether the possibility of means testing States nursery care was also something his department was reviewing, Deputy Bryans said: ‘We are looking at all these things. That will be part of the considerations.’
The States are facing a predicted black hole of £145 million by 2019, and Education has been tasked with making £8 million worth of cuts. The department has said the nursery cuts will save around £250,000 a year.
