To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the estimated cost of introducing the general certificate of secondary education both in aggregate and per capita terms; and if he will make a statement.

The Government have made available some £250 million for the introduction of GCSE in England over the three financial years 1986–87 to 1988–89, including £40 million expenditure on GCSE-related in-service training. This is equivalent to some £145 per pupil in each of the first three GCSE cohorts.