Education, Culture and Sport Committee, 23 Nov 1999

Meeting date: Tuesday, November 23, 1999

Official Report 289KB pdf

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Special Educational Needs

The next item is the committee's inquiry into special educational needs, a paper on which has been circulated. Do members have any comments or questions? Are we agreed that the paper's recommendations are the way forward and that the time scale is in order?

My understanding is that we introduced the item primarily because of the consideration of the Riddell report. We should clarify exactly the report's implications for education providers. I understand that they are expected to make changes by March 2000, although our inquiry report will not come out until late June 2000, which might be after they have had to implement budgetary changes.

I have already received representations from a number of institutions saying that they do not think that there is adequate time to discuss the Riddell report. They would prefer it if the changes that they will have to implement were put off for a year, so that bodies such as this committee could examine the report's implications. We need to ascertain exactly what the Executive's planned changes are.

My understanding is that the consultation exercise on the Riddell report closes at the end of this month. Therefore, the Executive should be clearer about the report's possibilities at the end of that period. We felt that the time scale indicated in the paper was realistic, given the committee's other work.

Brian, are you suggesting that we make representations to the Executive to postpone its decisions on the Riddell report?

My concern is that we might miss the boat—what we produce might be redundant because the Government will have acted already. I appreciate that its period of consultation is closing, but, as a committee, we need to give the issue proper time. It might be in order to contact the Executive to ask it to be clear about when it wishes to make changes and to ask it whether it can take into account the fact that we will not put forward a view until June.

Okay. I share that concern as well. We are not sure who will take a lead on the Riddell report, once the consultation exercise has finished. Can we make some inquiries this week and come back to the committee next week with more definite guidance?

The Minister for Parliament should be asked what the Government's intentions are. We should hear his views at our next meeting, so that we can formulate a time scale.

Do members want to add to what the paper says about the inquiry's remit or evidence sessions?

Are you asking us to identify today the bodies from which we should seek evidence?

It would be useful if you could give names to the clerk, but not necessarily right now.

In the second paragraph of section 3, the paper refers to "main voluntary sector bodies". I presume that we are talking about the grant-aided schools that deliver a great deal of special educational needs provision.

Yes, I would assume so.

Schools such as the blind school, the deaf school and so on should be brought into the inquiry.