Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the examination boards in England, Wales and Northern Ireland collect data on the number of private candidates who sit GCSE and A-Level examinations.

These questions are a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have therefore asked its Chief Regulator, Sally Collier, to write directly to the Hon. Member. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House libraries.