§ Mr. Ernie Rossasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will now collect and publish information on the number of schools, and identify separately those closed and those newly opened.
§ Mr. Allan StewartInformation on the number of schools operating in the public sector is collected through the school census conducted in September of each year and is subsequently published in a statistical bulletin early in the following year. Details of school closures and new openings are not returned as part of the census but my Department is considering whether arrangements should be made to collect and publish this information.