asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, what is his best estimate of the number of (a) 16 and (b) 17-year-olds in England in each year from 1983 to 1988.

The number of residents aged 16 and 17 years on 30 June of each year, as given in the projections by the office of Population Censuses and Surveys, are as follows:

England
Year	Age 16 thousands	Age 17 thousands
1983	760·4	765·3
1984	733·4	763·2
1985	737·9	736·2
1986	708·5	740·7
1987	728·3	711·4
1988	687·8	731·2

These figures are based on the mid-1979 population estimates and do not yet take into account the results of the 1981 census. A new set of projections will be published about mid-1983.