§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many pupils were permanently excluded from schools in England and Wales, on 1 December 1997. [23286]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisData on permanent exclusions during the 1997–98 school year will be collected as part of the annual school census in January 1999. The latest figures currently available are for the school year 1995–96. These show a total of 12,476 permanent exclusions in England during the year—an average of 60 permanent exclusions on any one school day. Exclusions from schools in Wales are a matter for my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Wales.