New Clause 1
Special Educational Needs (Information) Bill
11:00 am
Maria Miller (Shadow Minister, Children, Schools and Families; Basingstoke, Conservative)
I want to say a few words on the new clause. Many aspects of it overlap with issues that we have already debated in relation to the annual publication of information, and the comments of the hon. Member for Mid-Dorset and North Poole on provision of information for parents and the importance of transparency echoed parts of my amendment No. 3. We are not working together on this, yet there are many similar elements.
Rather than pushing the matter to a vote, I urge the hon. Member for Gateshead, East and Washington, West to look at how the Bill might be amended on Report to reflect some elements of the new clause, particularly the importance of transparency in the information that is available for parents. That is something I know about on a constituency level. I have had cases of girls with autism and tried to find the most appropriate ways of supporting them. That is very difficult, and the information is not readily available.
Again, there is a need for information collected under the Bill to be presented in a usable format for hon. Members and those beyond the House.