HC Deb 24 July 1959 vol 609 cc1716-7

Lords Amendment: In page 101, line 3, leave out from beginning to "for" in line 8 and insert: It shall be the duty of every local education authority to ascertain what children in their area are suffering from a disability of mind of such a nature or to such an extent as to make them unsuitable for education at school; and for the purpose of fulfilling that duty any officer of a local education authority authorised in that behalf by the authority may by notice in writing served upon the parent of any child who has attained the age of two years require him to submit the child.

Mr. R. Thompson

I beg to move, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment.

This Amendment meets the point raised by the hon. Member for St. Pancras, North (Mr. K. Robinson) at the seventeenth sitting of the Standing Committee which dealt with this Bill. It makes it possible for an officer of the local education authority who is authorised to do so, to take the steps necessary to arrange for a child to be examined for the purposes of deciding whether he is suitable for education at school. It shortens the procedure originally drafted and it is in accordance with the suggestion of the hon. Member. I hope the Amendment will commend itself to the House.

Question put and agreed to.—[Special Entry.]

Lords Amendment: In page 101, line 32, leave out "fourteen" and insert "twenty-one."

Mr. R. Thompson

I beg to move, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment.

This new Section 57 (5) provides that before reaching its decision that a child is unsuitable for education at school, a local authority must give fourteen days for the parent of the child to appeal to the Minister of Education. This Amendment extends that period from fourteen days to twenty-one days. While I agree that the present limit has not caused serious inconvenience in practice, I think it a rather short period in the case of a parent wishing to obtain medical or other advice before deciding to lodge an appeal.

Question put and agreed to.

Remaining Lords Amendments agreed to.