HC Deb 06 March 1990 vol 168 c575W
Mr. Hannam

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what additional provision is being planned for the training of teachers of deaf-blind children.

Mr. Alan Howarth

The cost of training teachers of deaf-blind children is already provided for within the national priority areas within the LEA training grants scheme and consequently attracts financial support at the higher rate.

Mr. Hannam

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what consideration he has given to providing financial assistance to voluntary organisations to provide educational services, including pre-school services, for deaf-blind children;

(2) what financial support is being offered to local education authorities which wish to set up family centres as recommended in the policy statement, "Educational Provision for Deaf-Blind Children";

(3) what plans his Department has to offer financial support to local education authorities to enable them to carry out the recommendations made in the policy statement "Educational Provision for Deaf-Blind Children";

(4) what responses he has received from local education authorities to his Department's policy statement "Educational Provision for Deaf-Blind Children";

(5) what steps are being taken by his Department to follow up his Department's policy statement "Educational Provision for Deaf-Blind Children" published in March 1989.

Mr. Alan Howarth

Responsibility for educational provision for deaf-blind children rests with local education authorities. The Department's policy statement on the educational needs of these children is intended to provide a framework within which local education authorities and bodies responsible for non-maintained schools will be able to plan services and provision for deaf-blind children. The Department will be following up this document later in the year, to see what progress has been made by authorities towards providing for the needs of deaf-blind children. It is for individual authorities, in the light of local circumstances, to decide upon the allocation of resources for the provision for deaf-blind children from the total funds available.