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Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his estimate of the number of students outside London who claim more than £310 per academic year in housing benefit ; and who in London claim more than £340 per academic year in housing benefit.

Mr. Jackson : Government records of students' housing benefit claims are not collected centrally in the detail

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requested. However, I understand that Department of Social Security management information returns for May 1988 show that there was a total of 78,000 students claiming housing benefit at that time. In addition, Research Services Limited collected information about students' social security claims when conducting its 1988-89 survey of student income and expenditure. A copy of the survey report is in the Library.

Further and Higher Education

Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the number of people aged 18 to 24 years currently undertaking non-advanced further education full-time and higher education full-time ; and what percentage of the total population of 18 to 24-year- olds this represents.

Mr. Jackson : In Great Britain universities, polytechnics and colleges during the academic year 1988-89 there were 110,000 and 392, 000 students aged 18 to 24 years on non-advanced further education courses and higher education courses respectively, representing together about 8 per cent. of the population of 18 to 24-year-olds in Great Britain.

Pupil-Teacher Ratios

Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the present pupil-teacher ratio in (a) primary and (b) post-primary schools in England.

Mr. Alan Howarth : In January 1989 the pupil-teacher ratios in maintained primary and secondary schools in England were 22.0 and 15.3 respectively.

School Budgets (Exceptions)

Mr. Critchley : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish the percentage of its general schools budget which every local education authority has removed as mandatory and discretionary exceptions.

Mrs. Rumbold : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Epping Forest (Mr. Norris) on 5 February 1990, Official Report, col. 451.

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