asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is now able to publish the percentage of 16 and 17-years-olds who remained in full-time education in schools or further education colleges in September 1984 for England and for each local education authority area; and how this compares with each of the previous five years.

The proportions of the population aged 16 and 17 years remaining in full-time education in schools and colleges in England for the academic years 1979–80 to 1984–85 are as follows:

Percentage of population aged 16 or 17 in full-time education
	1979–80	1980–81	1981–82	1982–83	1983–84	1984–85 (provisional)
Aged 16	42	43	48	50	47	48
Aged 17	27	28	30	32	32	31

Comparable information for each local authority for the 1984–85 academic year will not be available until early autumn. As soon as these data become available they will be placed in the Library together with comparable figures for the earlier years.