§ Mr. MacleanTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many children of asylum seekers are currently attending school in the United Kingdom; and if he will estimate the cost of their attendance. [71092]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeLocal Education Authorities are funded to provide education for school-aged children of asylum seekers on the school roll, in the same way as they are for all other children on roll. We estimate that there are about 45,000 children of asylum seekers currently receiving education in the United Kingdom at a cost of around £97 million in the current financial year.