Pre-school and Primary Education

HC Deb 17 May 1972 vol 837 cc135-6W

Mr. Knox

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, 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.

Mr. van Straubenzee

From information contained in the UNESCO Year Book 1969, in 1967–68 current expenditure on pre-school and first level education amounted to an estimated 1.2 per cent. of gross national product in Italy and to an estimated 1.0 per cent. in the United Kingdom. The two education systems have, however, salient differences that can affect the comparability of these figures.