HC Deb 17 December 1992 vol 216 cc345-6W
Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the number of teachers of the hearing impaired who have to be trained annually in order to ensure that there is a sufficient supply of such teachers.

Mr. Forth

Identification of the numbers and the training needs of teachers of the hearing impaired is best done locally. It is for this Department to make support funds available. Those funds have been increased from £7.2 million in 1992–93 to £10 million in 1993–94, and the previous restrictions on what the grant could cover have been relaxed. Special educational needs teacher training is now very generously funded.

Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he intends to undertake any action to ensure that there is sufficient funding allocated for the training of teachers of hearing-impaired and visually-impaired children when their funding ceases to be ring fenced in April 1993.

Mr. Forth

Sufficient training funds are being made available by the Department through its grants for education support and training—GEST—programme. Decisions on the distribution of teacher training funds between the various special educational needs specialisms are best taken locally.

Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make it his policy to base the indicative allocation system for the training of specialist teachers on the number of children with sensory impairment and severe learning difficulties in a local education authority area rather than the total number of pupils in that area.

Mr. Forth

The indicative allocation system is used in the majority of grants in the grants for education support and training programme. It is a neutral formula based upon the number of pupils in full-time education in each local education authority. The effects of the application of this formula are being monitored.

Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what further measures he intends to take in concert with the changes he plans in school education to ensure adequate funding for the training of a sufficient supply of teachers for children with(a) hearing impairment and (b) visual impairment.

Mr. Forth

For 1993–94, the Department is making available to local education authorities £10 million of supported expenditure for training teachers in special educational needs specialisms through the GEST programme. Funding for the in-service training of teachers in grant-maintained schools is available through special purpose grants. The responsibility for special educational needs and for training teachers in appropriate specialisms will thus remain a local one.

Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure that money allocated to local education authorities for the training of specialist teachers for children with sensory impairment is used for this purpose.

Mr. Forth

Grant allocated to a local education authority for this purpose through the grants for education support and training programme is paid only on receipt from the LEA of a claim indicating the amount of expenditure it incurred or expected to incur on the purpose during a specified period. Claims must be certified by a responsible financial officer of the LEA. The claim covering expenditure incurred during the whole year is additionally subject to audit verification.

Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he will make it his policy to extend the mandatory training requirement for full-time teachers of hearing-impaired children to peripatetic teachers of deaf children.

Mr. Forth

No. It would not be appropriate to impose new mandatory training burdens upon local education authorities.

Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement outlining the extent to which local education authorities have been given extra resources to cover the 5 per cent. reduction in his support for the training of teachers of hearing-impaired children.

Mr. Forth

The amount of expenditure supported under the grants for education support and training programme for training for special educational needs will increase from £7.2 million in 1992–93 to £10 million in 1993–94. In increasing the amount supported by almost 40 per cent., the Government are seeking to expand the amount of supported training. Payment of grant in 1993–94 at 60 per cent. of expenditure incurred brings this grant into line with most other GEST grants.