To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children were in care in (a) Essex and (b) Castle Point in each of the last five years. (274241)

Information on the number of looked after children in Essex is available from table LAA1 in the Statistical First Release entitled ‘Children looked after in England (including adoption and care leavers) year ending 31 March 2008’, which is located at

http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000810/index.shtml

Table LAA1 can be found within the first set of additional tables.

Information on the number of looked after children are only collected by the Department at local authority level; therefore information for Castle Point is not available.