§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what new measures he intends to take in schools in Wales to assist children who suffer severe hearing loss.
§ Sir Wyn RobertsLocal education authorities have the responsibility for securing appropriate provision in schools for children with special educational needs, including those with a severe hearing loss. The Welsh Office has made support available to local education authorities under the grants for educational support and training programme for the in-service training of teachers of children with a hearing impairment. This support will also be available in 1992–93.
§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how many children there are in Wales by each county and by category who suffer hearing difficulties;
(2) how many unfilled vacancies there were in Wales for teachers of children suffering hearing loss in January 1991 and January 1990;
(3) how many qualified teachers employed in each of the local education authorities in Wales are engaged in teaching those who suffer hearing difficulties.
§ Sir Wyn RobertsThe information is not collected centrally.
§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures he has so for taken to assist children with severe hearing loss.
§ Mr. Nicholas BennettI refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave him on 6 June 1991. It is the responsibility of the relevant statutory authorities to provide services which meet the needs of all those with disabilities.