HC Deb 07 April 1971 vol 815 cc216-7W
Mr. Scott

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) from information available from international sources, what percentage of the national income of West Germany was devoted to current expenditure on pre-school and primary education in the most recent year for which statistics are available; and how this compares with the percentage in the United Kingdom for the same year;

(2) from information available from international sources, what percentage of the national income of France was devoted to current expenditure on preschool and primary education in the most recent year for which statistics are available; and how this compares with the percentage in the United Kingdom for the same year;

(3) from information available from international sources, what percentage of the national income of Italy was devoted to current expenditure on pre-school and primary education in the most recent year for which statistics are available; and how this compares with the percentage in the United Kingdom for the same year;

(4) from information available from international sources, what percentage of the national income of the Netherlands was devoted to current expenditure on pre-school and primary education in the most recent year for which statistics are available; and how this compares with the percentage in the United Kingdom for the same year;

(5) from information available from international sources, what percentage of the national income of Belgium was devoted to current expenditure on preschool and primary education in the most recent year for which statistics are available; and how this compares with the percentage in the United Kingdom for the same year;

(6) from information available from international sources, what percentage of the national income of Luxembourg was devoted to current expenditure on preschool and primary education in the most recent year for which statistics are available; and how this compares with the percentage in the United Kingdom for the same year;

(7) from information available from international sources, what percentage of the national incomes of the Common Market countries was devoted to current expenditure on pre-school and primary education in the most recent year for which statistics are available; and how this compares with the percentage in the United Kingdom for the same year.

Mr. van Straubenzee

From figures in the U.N.E.S.C.O. Year Book 1969, estimates of the percentage of the gross national product in 1967 devoted to public current expenditure on education at the first level in the Common Market Countries separately and as a whole have been made and are given below, together with the figure for the United Kingdom.

Per cent.
West Germany 1.1
France 0.7
Italy 1.3
Netherlands 1.4
Belgium 1.1 approx.
Luxembourg not available
Common Market Countries 1.0 approx.
United Kingdom 1.1
The education systems of the various countries have salient differences which can affect the comparability of these figures. Care must be exercised in any use made of them.