Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many parents and guardians of children within the state school system were fined as a result of unauthorised absence by their children in 2013.

The Department for Education collects and publishes annual data on the number of penalty notices (fines) issued to parents, which includes any issued to guardians, for offences relating to Section 444(1) of the Education Act 1996. The number of penalty notices issued in the academic year 2012/13 was 52,370. This information is published online:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/parental-responsibility-measures-academic-year-2012-to-2013

The Department does not collect data regarding fines issued by the courts on this matter.