§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the Joint Working Group which he set up with the Secretary of State for Education and Employment to improve the provision of therapies for children with special educational needs to complete its work. [87854]
§ Mr. HuttonThe working group on the provision of speech and language therapy services to children with special educational needs was established in November 1998 and its membership includes representatives of a wide range of interested parties. The working group has met on four occasions to date. Progress and future plans will be reviewed at the group's meeting in November270W 1999 in the light of preliminary feedback from specially commissioned research into speech and language therapy provision.