§ Mr. CoakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many voluntary sector providers of education there are. [142827]
§ Jacqui SmithThe responsibility for educating pupils who are unable to attend school rests with local education authorities. They are increasingly working with a range of both national and local voluntary sector partners in order to ensure that pupils unable to attend school receive a suitable education. We welcome this partnership approach and see it as an important element in meeting the target for providing a full-time education for all pupils excluded from school by 2002. We do not collect information centrally on the number of voluntary providers.