§ Mr. Brian Parkynasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children of school age in Bedfordshire are known to have defective hearing; how many schools in Bedfordshire specially cater for such children; and what he proposes to do to increase the educational facilities for children in the county with impaired hearing.
§ Mr. RedheadForty-seven at the last annual return, of whom six are between the ages of two and five. The authority provide a special class for partially hearing pupils at a county primary school and use other facilities outside their area. I understand that a peripatetic teaching service, interrupted by staff shortages, is being resumed and that the authority hope to appoint additional teachers for one or two more special classes. Nationally, the number of training places for teachers of the deaf has been increased and the Department is in regular touch with the universities110W concerned about measures to secure further improvements in supply.