HC Deb 17 February 1981 vol 999 c107W
Mr. Ernie Ross

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, to mark the International Year of Disabled People, he will seek to increase the funding of research projects into the study of dyslexia.

Mr. Alexander Fletcher

The particular difficulties described by the term dyslexia are believed to arise from a variety of causes and are best dealt with by remedial teaching. Many aspects of research into special educational needs are relevant to these difficulties; the importance given to such research is shown by the fact that projects in the special education field costing a total of £187,000 are in hand and that expenditure in the current year on these projects will amount to 11 per cent. of my Department's expenditure on educational research. In addition the Consultative Committee on the Curriculum is sponsoring development work with a particular bearing on problems of word and number recognition.