HC Deb 24 July 1997 vol 298 cc753-5W
Mr. Gunnell

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what proposals he has to reduce the running costs of the special educational needs tribunal; [10019]

(2) what plans he has to introduce changes to the special educational needs appeals process; [10020]

(3) if he will reduce the number of appeals administered by the special educational needs tribunal. [10021]

Ms Estelle Morris

We will consult widely on the special educational needs appeals process, as part of an extensive consultation on SEN, through a Green Paper to be published in September. As part of that, we shall be looking to improve arrangements for conciliation between parents and local education authorities, so that fewer appeals need to come to the tribunal. That should in due course reduce pressure on tribunal running costs.

Mr. Gunnell

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) if he will estimate the average cost of a special educational needs tribunal hearing, including indirect costs borne by his Department; and if he will estimate the average cost of processing an appeal sent to the special educational needs tribunal; [10017]

(2) if he will estimate the average cost of processing parental appeals concerning special educational needs statements for (a) local education authorities in 1993–94 and (b) the special educational needs tribunal in 1994–95. [10018]

Ms Morris

The budget for the tribunal is held by the DfEE, but the Department has no involvement in special educational needs tribunal hearings. For the 1995–96 financial year, the SEN tribunal president has estimated that the average cost to the tribunal of a hearing is about £820 and the average cost of processing an appeal, including hearing costs, is about £730. The discrepancy is due mainly to something approaching 50 per cent. of appeals being withdrawn before reaching a hearing. It is not possible to offer meaningful averages for the cost of processing appeals in the 1994–95 financial year.

The Department has no information about the cost to LEAs of SEN appeals processed by local education authorities in 1993–94.

Mr. Gunnell

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how many appeals to the special educational needs tribunal were heard during the latest year for which figures are available; and in how many of these appeals there were parents or other witnesses representing the child for whom the appeal was being held; [10024]

(2) in respect of how many cases of appeals to the special educational needs tribunal the wishes of the parents were upheld; and in how many of these cases witnesses were present for the appellant. [10025]

Ms Morris

Between September 1995 and August 1996, the special educational needs tribunal conducted 903 hearings, 111 of which were preliminary hearings at which parties to the appeal were not normally present. Parents were present at the remaining 792 hearings. In the same period, parents' appeals were upheld, either in full or in part, in 620 cases. The tribunal does not collect data on the number of witnesses who attend hearings.

Mr. Gunnell

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many appeals to the special educational needs tribunal(a) followed a rejected appeal to the local education authority responsible for the education of the child concerned and (b) took the place of an appeal to the relevant local authority in the last year for which data are available. [10022]

Ms Morris

The special educational needs tribunal came into existence on 1 September 1994 when it replaced local education authorities as the body responsible for hearing SEN appeals. Appeals after that date came direct to the tribunal. We have no information about whether any appeals heard by the tribunal had been conducted by LEAs prior to that date.

Mr. Gunnell

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what were the total expenses paid for the latest year for which figures are available for hearings of the special educational needs tribunal(a) for members of the appeals panel and (b) for parents and other witnesses of those children whose appeals are being held. [10023]

Ms Morris

Members of the tribunal were paid £425,000 in the 1995–96 financial year to cover fees and expenses. In the same period, parents were paid £3,000 and parents' witness, £13,000.