§ 41. Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to increase the level of expenditure on the teaching of children with special educational needs; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. DunnMy right hon. Friend announced last November that the Government would be providing for 625W local education authorities to spend nearly £13.9 billion on education in 1988–89. Within this figure some £570 million is being provided for special education. We also announced recently an increase in the amount of Government grant available to local education authorities in 1988–89 to support in-service training for teachers and others in the education service. With that support, LEAs propose to spend £9.8 million next year on training to meet the needs of pupils with disabilities of sight and of hearing and severe learning difficulties, and training for "designated" teachers to meet special educational needs in ordinary schools. The comparable figure for 1987–88 is estimated at £7.1 million.
§ 51. Ms. GordonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to increase the level of funding for the integration of children with special educational needs into mainstream school classes; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. DunnMy right hon. Friend does not determine the level of funding for children with special educational needs who are integrated into mainstream classes. That is a matter for individual local education authorities. Where the child has a statement, the authority is under a duty to provide for all the identified educational needs of that child. In general, resource allocation is a matter for local priorities.