§ Mr. Fosterasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of 16, 17 and 18-year-old youths in the Northern region and Bishop Auckland constituency are participating in full-time education in schools and colleges of further education; and what is the corresponding national figure.
§ Mr. William SheltonStatistics are readily available by local education authority but not by parliamentary constituency. The percentage of young people aged 16, 17 and 18 participating in full-time education in schools and colleges of further education in Durham—which includes the Bishop Auckland constituency—was 17 per cent. in 1980–81, the latest year for which information is available. The corresponding figures for the Northern region and for England were 19.8 per cent. and 23.8 per cent., respectively.