  We compare evolutionary models for protoplanetary discs that include disc
winds with observational determinations of the disc lifetime and accretion rate
in Taurus. Using updated estimates for stellar ages in Taurus, together with
published classifications, we show that the evolution of the disc fraction with
stellar age is similar to that derived for ensembles of stars within young
clusters. Around 30 percent of stars lose their discs within 1 Myr, while the
remainder have disc lifetimes that are typically in the 1-10 Myr range. We show
that the latter range of ages is consistent with theoretical models for disc
evolution, provided that there is a dispersion of around 0.5 in the log of the
initial disc mass. The same range of initial conditions brackets the observed
variation in the accretion rate of Classical T Tauri stars at a given age. We
discuss the expected lifetime of discs in close binary systems, and show that
our models predict that the disc lifetime is almost constant for separations
exceeding 10 au. This implies a low predicted fraction of binaries that pair a
Classical T Tauri star with a Weak-lined T Tauri star, and is in better
agreement with observations of the disc lifetime in binaries than disc models
that do not include disc mass loss in a wind.
