Clause 46
Education and Skills Bill
3:45 pm
Jim Knight (Minister of State (Schools and Learners), Department for Children, Schools and Families; South Dorset, Labour)
When the attendance panel is considering whether a local authority should be able to begin proceedings against a young person, it is required to invite the young person to make representations to the panel. Under amendment No. 38, when considering that, the attendance panel would have to invite either the young person or an advocate for the young person to make representations to it. Amendment No. 83 would entitle the young person to advocacy in making those representations.
We are placing the duty to participate on the young people, so it is right that they should always be invited to make representations. I do not believe that, in reality, anyone would disagree with that. I very much agree that the young person should be able to bring someone with them to the panel if they want to, and we shall allow for that in regulations. The panel will also invite other people who understand the young person’s circumstances to make representations. Both those and the young person’s own explanation will be important in helping the panel to understand the individual circumstances of the case and the steps that have been taken to help, support and re-engage the young person, and so decide whether everything possible has been done.
How the panel invites representations to be made to it will be set out in regulations, as amendment No. 87 proposes. Clause 43(3) makes provision for that. It is appropriate to put the detail of the operation of the panel in regulations and to take time to consult on that. With those assurances, I hope that the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton will withdraw the amendment.