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Special Educational Needs

: My hon. Friend makes a valid point. A high proportion of people in prison suffer from some form of SEN—such as dyslexia or autism—which limited their progress in school and led to antisocial behaviour. The hon. Member for Luton, North (Kelvin Hopkins) made a thoughtful speech. I wish in particular to pick up on his point about nature versus nurture in respect of behavioural issues. A disappointingly large proportion of young people in pupil referral units have statements and might be better placed in an EBD school—a school for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties—where they can get support that is tailored to their needs. In looking at behaviour in schools, we need to be careful to understand the root cause and what the correct solutions to the underlying issues might be. We must continue to have a debate about this matter. My hon. Friend the Member for Northampton, South (Mr. Binley) made a powerful speech, which highlighted one of the issues touched on by all contributors to the debate: the tensions that local education authorities face in providing sufficient resources to meet the needs of children with SEN. I will deal with that shortly.