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Special Educational Needs

: My hon. Friend has opened up a subject which could be an entire debate in itself. It involves primary care trust deficits, the fact that we have a massive shortage of speech and language therapists, and the fact that PCTs cannot afford to do some of the work that the LEAs are asking them to do in order to get reports together and to statement children. That is why special educational needs and disability tribunals cost so much; parents have to pay for a lot of the work themselves. The subject that my hon. Friend raises is of great importance. To make a real difference, parent partnerships must be independently funded, autonomous of the LEA, and given the teeth to do the job; they must be independent of the LEA and be able to advocate on behalf of parents. I think that the Prime Minister called for a review and Lord Adonis is desperately searching for a third way because they know that SEN in the UK today and the introduction of the education White Paper do not go together. How can they? The Government propose to introduce trust schools, competition and a selection criterion with no statutory obligation via a code of practice. Who will want these children? Who will take them? The answer is no one. The Government claim that the White Paper is about driving up standards. How can standards in schools that take in SEN children be driven up? When MLD and special schools are closed down, those children will all be in the mainstream. They will be the school's barrier to improvement and to driving up standards. The White Paper states:"““We are clear that there must be zero tolerance of both serious and low-level discipline and behaviour issues.””" The present policy of inclusion forces many children into an education environment in which they are uncomfortable and become disruptive, thereby undermining the Government's so-called zero tolerance on behaviour and discipline issues. Their policy in this respect is clearly contradictory. According to the White Paper, schools will be free to select by interview if they want to do so. How would Jack fare in an interview? What head teacher would accept a child who wrecks an office in five minutes? The White Paper mentions SEN children in two dedicated paragraphs, both of which are completely inconclusive and end in a similar way. The first of those paragraphs ends with the phrase:"““We will commission an evaluation””," and the second ends:"““We will undertake a consultation””." Every paragraph in the White Paper is entirely conclusive except those referring to children with SEN. It is time for the Government to come clean. What exactly is their policy with regard to SEN and the White Paper, and how do they intend to manage SEN within the remit of the White Paper? Again, I am referring specifically to children on the high end of the autistic continuum and those with Asperger's. I think that when the Prime Minister called for a review of SEN he knew exactly what he was doing. He knows that there is an incompatibility between what is happening on the ground and what he wants to achieve via the introduction of the White Paper. I am going to raise myself to the giddy heights of the Prime Minister, Lord Adonis and Baroness Warnock and ask the Minister to call for a review. I know that she is a Minister of good intent and is much admired by hon. Members on both sides of the House for her ability and compassion. I ask her sincerely to consider seriously a review, particularly for the groups of children that I have just mentioned. A review may even help the Government to calm their own malcontents; it may help with the passage of the White Paper. If the Minister chooses to answer my call, I ask her not to speak in the jargon that the Government have used of late when talking about education. I ask her not to mention effective partnerships because, as I have stated, when it comes to SEN there are none. I ask her not to mention cross-agency co-operation, because agencies do not co-operate when it comes to SEN. I ask her just to talk about how we can make better the education and lives of children with SEN, and to call for a review. How can we prevent SEN children from becoming the people with ASBOs of tomorrow? Why use spin when the truth works so well?