asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total population of children under 5 years of age in each local authority with social services responsibilities in England.

The latest official set of estimates for such local authorities, relating to mid-1980, has been published in table 5 of "Population Estimates, 1980"—HMSO, Series PP1 No. 5. However, the results of the 1981 census of population, which are now being published, show that the estimates need to be revised. A new set of estimates based on the census results and relating to mid-1981 will be available in the autumn.