§ Mr. Knoxasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science 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 the most recent year for which statistics were available; and how this compares with the percentage in the United Kingdom for the same year.
§ Mr. van StraubenzeeFrom information contained in the UNESCO Year 419W Book for 1969 and 1970, current expenditure in the financial year 1967–68 on pre-school and first level education amounted to an estimated 1.1 per cent. of the gross national products in the Common Market countries, and to an estimated 1.0 per cent. in the United Kingdom. The education systems concerned have, however, salient differences that can affect the comparability of the figures.