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Education and Inspections Bill

This has been an excellent debate, but sadly perhaps a little premature because of the embargo on the report of the Select Committee that will be coming out tomorrow. Notwithstanding the late hour, I shall make sure that I am up in time to listen to the Minister on the ““Today”” programme in the morning. This is a crucially important but difficult area to tackle. I have written lots of notes, but I am a little shy of saying too much tonight because it is important that we read the report of the Select Committee. I feel that there is much agreementand consensus in your Lordships’ House on the underlying principles, although there is a real concern on the part of noble Lords on these Benches that there is a retained bias. However, I take on board what the Minister has been able to say this evening, and I appreciate his remarks about financial constraints and the need for local authorities to retain their role as decision makers. We need to continue to probe in this area. As the noble Lord, Lord Dearing, pointed out, he has observed that primary schools do not necessarily have the breadth of skills and experience to give children with special educational needs the best opportunities. The point should be taken together with that made rather courageously by the noble Baroness, Lady Williams, to the effect that it is probable in many cases that the mothers and fathers of children with special educational needs are themselves going to be biased towards the mainstream because they want their child, particularly at the primary stage, to be in what they might perceive as a normal environment, even though it might not be the best one for their child. Again, I am pleased that we have had this debate tonight. I shall certainly think more about what we have said and about the amendments with which we have probed, along with what the Minister has said in his response and the results of the report from the Select Committee. For now, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. [Amendment No. 18 not moved.] Clause 2, as amended, agreed to.