§ Paul HolmesTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many local education authorities have provided parent partnership services for families of children with special educational needs; what proportion of families have been provided with the service; and if he will make a statement. [170611]
§ Mr. MilibandEvery local education authority is required under Section 332A of the Education Act 1996 to make arrangements for parent partnership services. Arrangements vary, with some authorities providing the service themselves, while others buy in the service from another provider such as a voluntary organisation or another local authority. Information on the proportion of families that have used the service is not collected centrally.
§ Paul HolmesTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools have increased accessibility to children with learning disabilities through the School Access Initiative; what funding will be provided for the initiative over the next three years; and if he will make a statement. [170612]
§ Mr. MilibandThe Schools Access Initiative is designed to increase the accessibility of mainstream schools for pupils with disabilities. Over £274 million has been made available Knee the scheme began in 1996. A further £100 million will be made available each year for 2004–05 and 2005–06. Funding for the scheme beyond 2005–06 is subject to decisions relating to the outcome of the 2004 Spending Review.
It is for local education authorities to decide which of the capital projects proposed by their schools should be supported in the light of local needs and circumstances detailed in their Accessibility Strategy. They are not required to provide us with information detailing how they have spent their allocation of the School Access Initiative to increase access to pupils with specific disabilities. It is therefore not possible to say how many schools have increased their accessibility for children with learning disabilities.