Education Bill

Friday 13th May 2011 Ministerial Corrections

The following is the response given by the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton (Mr Gibb) to a question from the hon. Member for North West Durham (Pat Glass) during the debate on the Education Bill on 11 May 2011.

[Pat Glass]

Local authorities have 14 days in which to comply with the decision of a special educational needs tribunal. Therefore, why is it unreasonable for schools to have 14 days to comply with the decision of the schools adjudicator, who is also a statutory body?

[Mr Gibb]

The example that the hon. Lady gives applies to one individual, but an objection to admission arrangements applies to an entire school, and therefore to a wider range of people, which means that consultation is necessary before those changes are made. That is the difference between the two examples.

[Official Report, 11 May 2011, Vol. 527, c. 1238.]

Letter of correction from Mr Nick Gibb:

An error has been identified in the answer given to the hon. Member for North West Durham (Pat Glass) during the debate of the Education Bill. I meant to say that “more consideration is necessary”, not that “consultation is necessary”.

The correct answer should have been:

[Mr Gibb]

The example that the hon. Lady gives applies to one individual, but an objection to admission arrangements applies to an entire school, and therefore to a wider range of people, which means that more consideration is necessary before those changes are made. That is the difference between the two examples.