§ Mr. Nicholas BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information his Department has as to the proportion of university entrants whose father's occupation is given as being in social classes Him, IV and V; how this compares with 1958, 1968 and 1978 in the United Kingdom; and what equivalent information he has about other countries.
Mr. JacksonIn 1986, 21 per cent. of university entrants were from social classes IIIm, IV or V. In 1978 the comparable figure was 23 per cent. Information for 1958 and 1968 is not available, but it is estimated that in 1955, 1961 and 1971 the equivalent figures were 25, 25 and 27 per cent. respectively.
The OECD has published some information on parental occupations for higher education students in a few countries, but this is not strictly comparable as each country has its own classification of occupations.