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31 Mar 2004 : Column 1539W—continued
Teaching Assistants
Mrs. Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teaching assistants were employed in (a) Blackpool and (b) Lancashire local education authorities in each year since 1997. [164552]
Mr. Miliband: The following table gives the numbers of full time equivalent teaching assistants in maintained schools in Blackpool and Lancashire local education authorities for each year between 1997 and 2003, the latest year for which data are available.
| Former Lancashire | Lancashire | Blackpool | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 1,780 | — | — |
| 1998 | 2,000 | — | — |
| 1999 | — | 1,670 | 190 |
| 2000 | — | 1,830 | 220 |
| 2001 | — | 2,190 | 290 |
| 2002 | — | 1,960 | 190 |
| 2003 | — | 3,130 | 390 |
Source:
Annual Schools' Census
Undergraduates
Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many undergraduates were at universities in England in each academic year since 1997. [161612]
31 Mar 2004 : Column 1540W
Alan Johnson: The available information is given in the table.
| Academic year | Numbers |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 1,172,877 |
| 1998–99 | 1,195,620 |
| 1999–2000 | 1,198,003 |
| 2000–01 | 1,229,549 |
| 2001–02 | 1,263,498 |
| 2002–03 | 1,328,625 |
(33) Figures include enrolments to the Open University.
Source:
Higher Education Statistics Agency
Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many undergraduates dropped out of undergraduate studies in each year since 1997. [162036]
Alan Johnson: The latest available figures giving non-completion rates for students starting full-time first degree courses in the UK are as follows:
| Students starting courses in: | (34)Non-completion rate (percentage) |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 16 |
| 1999–2000 | 17 |
| 1998–99 | 17 |
| 1997–98 | 17 |
(34) Non-completion is regarded as those who do not gain a qualification from their original course or from any other course and do not transfer to another institution.
Source:
HEFCE Performance Indicators
Figures published in 2003 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) show that the UK as a whole has one of the lowest non-completion rates among OECD countries.