§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the percentage of special needs statements issued within 18 weeks by each London local education authority in(a) 1997–98 and (b) 1998–99. [106756]
§ Jacqui SmithThe Audit Commission publishes information on the percentage of draft statements of special educational needs produced by local education authorities within 18 weeks. Data for 1998–99 will not be available until the end of March and will be placed on the Audit Commission's internet website. The 1997–98 percentages for the London authorities given below do not154W include statements for which allowable exceptions from the relevant time limits, as set out in Part 3 of my Department's "Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs", have been made. In 1998 officials in my Department provided good-practice guidance to those LEAs whose performance was weakest. When the data for 1998–99 are available my officials will consider the need for further action to help LEAs improve their performance in this area.
LEA Percentage Inner London: Camden 49 Greenwich 6 Hackney 56 Hammersmith and Fulham 98 Islington 88 Kensington and Chelsea 85 Lambeth 52 Lewisham 92 Southwark 92 Tower Hamlets 43 Wandsworth 99 Westminster 82 (no figure is available for the City of London) Outer London: Barking and Dagenham 12 Barnet 50 Bexley 97 Brent 90 Bromley 98 Croydon 78 Ealing 20 Enfield 30 Haringey 20 Harrow 33 Havering 94 Hillingdon 22 Hounslow 79 Kingston-upon-Thames 100 Merton 98 Newham 65 Redbridge 47 Richmond-upon-Thames 30 Sutton 29 Waltham Forest 32