To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many applications for authorised absences for holidays during term time were made to (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in England in each of the last five years. (136670)

The Department has just started to collect information on the reason for pupil absence relating to the autumn 2006 term.

Findings relating to the full 2006/07 school year are expected to be released via a National Statistics publication in February 2008.