§ Mr. McMasterTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the importance of the role performed by the Gateside school for the deaf in Renfrewshire and its future. [28556]
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonGateside school makes a valuable contribution to provision for the special educational needs of hearing-impaired children in Strathclyde region. The management of all its schools, including Gateside school, is in the first instance a matter for Strathclyde regional council. After local government reorganisation, it will be for the new Renfrewshire council, and for the other two councils whose schools are currently served by the staff based at Gateside school, to determine how to discharge their statutory duties towards children with special educational needs resulting from hearing impairment in their areas. I am sure that the new councils will recognise the advantages offered by existing and new opportunities for effective and efficient co-operation.