asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science which local authorities bought places at independent schools and paid for pupils to attend them during 1977–78 and 1978–79; how many students were involved; and what were the costs of providing such schooling to local authorities.

Using their powers under the Education Acts, local education authorities supported a total of 21,346 non-handicapped pupils and 7,362 handicapped pupils at independent schools in the academic year 1977–78. Corresponding figures for 1978–79 are not yet available. Information as to the costs for independent school placements alone are not readily available. However, for all non-maintained schools, including former direct grant schools and non-maintained special schools, the total number of students was 74,888 and according to provisional outturn figures, the expenditure by local education authorities in the financial year 1977–78 on the support of pupils in all such non-maintained schools was at November 1977 prices £41·7 million for non-handicapped pupils, of which approximately £18·5 million was for pupils in former direct grant schools, and £47·5 million for handicapped pupils. The number of pupils supported by each local education authority was as follows: