Clause 45
12:45 pm
Jim Knight (Minister of State (Schools and Learners), Department for Children, Schools and Families; South Dorset, Labour)
It is important to read the clause in conjunction with clause 40, which, as we heard, inserts proposed new section 15ZA into the 1996 Act. New section 15ZA(1)(b) places local authorities under a firm duty to secure enough suitable education and training to meet the reasonable needs of people aged between 19 and 25 who are subject to learning difficulty assessment. That is, in effect, where the “must” in the predecessor Act comes in. Clause 45 clarifies that the local authority may deliver that overriding duty through boarding accommodation.
The issue is one of transferring a duty from a national body to local authorities. In many cases, the local authority would not want to secure the boarding accommodation within its area, but to ensure that the needs of its learners, as defined in clause 40, were met out of area. In many cases, it is more likely that specialist residential provision will be outside the young person’s home local authority area and will be needed only for a small number of learners with more intensive support needs. We envisage local authorities working closely in their sub-regional groupings to plan and commission provision to meet the needs of learners in their areas. On that basis, I hope that the hon. Gentleman will be happy to support the clause.