§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Education how many copies of his draft code of practice on the identification and assessment of special needs have been printed; to whom and how many an initial distribution was made; how many were distributed in response to requests; and if he will ensure that at least one copy will be dispatched to each maintained school in England and Wales.
§ Mr. Robin SquireAs of 15 December, a total of 23,000 copies of the draft code had been printed. The Department made an initial distribution of over 1,000 copies of a first print run of 2,500 to all local education authorities, social services departments and regional and district health authorities, as well as to other interested bodies, such as voluntary organisations and teacher unions.
The Department's distribution centre has distributed a further 22,000 copies of the draft code in response to requests. Our intention is, subject to Parliament's approval, to issue a revised version of the code in the early summer, to come into effect on 1 September. We shall send copies to all maintained schools and take steps to ensure that the code's messages are widely understood.