§ Mrs. Doris Fisherasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will give consideration to instituting an inquiry into the whole field of special education.
§ Mrs. ThatcherI do not think that this would be helpful in present circumstances, and I can assure the hon. Lady that the whole field is kept under continuing review. Different handicaps pose very different problems; and committees of inquiry into the education of the visually handicapped and into speech therapy services are expected to report early next year. I also have access to the advice over the whole field from my Advisory Committee on Handicapped Children.