asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total number of young people in Scotland currently attending day-release classes in agriculture; and what are the comparable numbers for the academic years 1972–73 and 1973–74, respectively.

Estimates derived from enrolments in October 1974 indicate that during session 1974–75 about 1,200 people will have been released from employment to attend part-time day further education courses in agriculture either on one-day per week or for continuous periods—blocks—of between two and six weeks at a time. Final figures for sessions 1972–73 and 1973–74 were 1,531 and 1,381 respectively.