asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students aged 65 years or over have failed to complete Open University courses; and how that figure compares with the failure rate for other groups.

In 1977—the latest year for which figures are available—36 per cent. of Open University undergraduate students aged 65 or over failed to gain any credits. The comparable figure for all such students was 27·5 per cent.The 65 or over group formed just under 1 per cent. of an undergraduate population of about 55,500.