§ Baroness Jegerasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many students are studying Russian to first degree standard in universities and polytechnics; in how many schools Russian is being taught; and whether there has been an increase or decrease over the last five years.
§ Baroness HooperThe information is as follows:
Academic year beginning 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 University undergraduate (Great Britain) Full-time 405 403 453 522 596 Part-time 3 6 4 2 — Total 408 409 457 524 596 Polytechnic first degree Students (England and Wales) Full-time 43 68 72 69 69 Part-time 32 16 20 15 — Total 75 84 92 84 69 * Note: The subject classification for university statistics was changed in 1985 and therefore the figures for 1985 may not be directly comparable with those for preceding years. The figures cover courses in Russian, Russian and Soviet Studies, Russian for Teachers and combined courses of Russian with French or German. Information on the number of schools in which particular subjects are taught is not collected centrally. However entrants for Russian examinations at A level, O level and CSE were as follows:
Examination entrants England and Wales Russian 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 A level 384 388 319 311 309 O level 1471 1464 1340 1295 1388 CSE 282 240 194 125 188