Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children with autism as their primary special educational need received a permanent or fixed-period exclusion in (a) the North West and (b) each local authority area in the North West in each of the last five years.

The first accompanying table provides the numbers of pupils with autism as their primary need who received fixed period and permanent exclusions in the North West region and in each local authority of the region in the last five years.

The second accompanying table shows the number of pupils with an education, health and care plan or a statement of special educational needs who received a permanent or fixed-period exclusion the North West region and in each local authority of the region in each of the last five years. There has been no increase in permanent or fixed-period exclusions for this cohort over the past five years.