§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will publish figures showing the number of instances in each local education authority in Wales where(a) services mentioned within statements have been withdrawn by the local education authority and (b) parents were informed by their local education authority that obligations outlined in a statement could not be fulfilled due to lack of resources;
(2) what is the estimated cost within each local education authority in Wales for providing specialist equipment in schools for disabled children who are integrated into mainstream education; and what is the average level per disabled pupil integrated into mainstream education of specialist equipment provided by each local education authority;
(3) how many children with special educational needs are currently being withheld from school within each local education authority area in Wales due specifically to disputes over statementing.
§ Sir Wyn RobertsThe information requested is not available centrally. Local education authorities have a duty to arrange that the special educational provision specified in a child's statement is made available.
§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will make it his policy to issue guidelines to local education authorities to ensure that all special educational needs statements contain a clear definition of resource levels;
(2) if he will make it his policy to issue guidelines to local education authorities to ensure that speech therapist and physiotherapist reports conducted as part of an individual's special educational needs statementing procedure are fully taken into account within the final statement;
(3) if he will make it his policy to issue guidelines to local education authorities in Wales to simplify the current special educational needs statementing procedures.
§ Sir Wyn RobertsWelsh Office circular 54/89 and its addendum, issued in March 1992, give detailed advice to local education authorities on assessment and statementing procedures. These make it clear that, in considering an assessment, a local education authority has to take into account all the advice it has received as part of the statutory process, including medical advice, and, if a statement is warranted, it has to refer to all special educational needs identified during the assessment.
Our new Education Bill contains proposals which will improve the current procedures and make them more responsive to the views of parents. These include the issue of further guidance for local education authorities on the criteria to be used for making assessments and issuing statements. This will be subject to consultation.
§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how many applications have been made for special educational needs statements in each local authority area in Wales; and how many such applications have been successful;
(2) how many pupils with special educational needs there are between the ages of five and 18 years in each local 250W education authority area in Wales; and how many such pupils have received a statement from their local education authority.
§ Sir Wyn RobertsThere is no specific system of applications for statements of special educational needs. Local education authorities do, however, have a duty to make and maintain statements if, following a formal assessment, they are of the opinion that they should determine the provision to be made for a child.
Information on the number of pupils between five and 18 in school with statements of special educational need for January 1992 is shown in the following table:
Number Clwyd 2,072 Dyfed 1,041 Gwent 1,890 Gwynedd 818 Mid Glamorgan 5,300 Powys 518 South Glamorgan 1,333 West Glamorgan 2,295 Wales 15,267
§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the average length of time taken between actual application and the granting of special educational needs statements within each local education authority area in Wales.
§ Sir Wyn RobertsThe information requested is not available. The Welsh Office has issued guidance to local education authorities that the period of time from the initial notification to the authority that an assessment might be necessary to the production of a draft statement should not exceed six months. Our Education Bill proposes legislation to ensure that the assessment procedures are conducted within prescribed time scales.
§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what efforts are currently undertaken by his Department to monitor the administration of special educational needs statementing procedures by local education authorities in Wales.
§ Sir Wyn RobertsThe statutory responsibility for identifying, assessing and making appropriate provision for children with special educational needs rests with local education authorities. If parents are dissatisfied with the decision or actions of the authority, or the special educational provision it has specified, there are rights of complaint and of appeal to my right hon. Friend, or a local appeals committee, as appropriate.