asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will publish in the Official Report the number of children aged 3 and 4 years, respectively, receiving nursery education in maintained nursery classes, full or part-time, shown separately; and the numbers of 4-year-olds in infants classes as rising 5s, for each local education authority, expressed as a percentage of the age group.

This information could not be provided in this form without disproportionate cost; however, much of the information is collected by my Department and is published annually as a Statistical Return "Nursery Education—Statistics for each Local Education Authority" (No. 24), copies of which are available in the Library.