UK Parliament / Open data

Children and Families Bill

Proceeding contribution from John Bercow (Speaker) in the House of Commons on Tuesday, 11 June 2013. It occurred during Debate on bills on Children and Families Bill.

With this it will be convenient to discuss the following:

New clause 8—Support for children with specified health conditions—

‘(1) The governing body of a mainstream school has a duty to produce and implement a medical conditions policy that defines how it plans to support the needs of children with specified health conditions.

(2) The medical conditions policy must include provision about—

(a) the means by which records of the specified health conditions of children at the school are to be recorded and maintained; and

(b) the preparation of an individual healthcare plan for each child with a specified health condition which sets out the needs of that child arising from that condition.

(3) The medical conditions policy must include requirements relating to the provision of appropriate training for school staff to support the implementation of individual healthcare plans.

(4) In preparing an individual healthcare plan the governing body must—

(a) consult the parent of the child concerned and, where appropriate, the child about the contents of the plan; and

(b) there shall be a duty on NHS bodies to co-operate with the governing body in its preparation and implementation of individual healthcare plans.

(5) Local authorities and clinical commissioning groups must co-operate with governing bodies in fulfilling their functions under this Act.

(6) The Secretary of State may by regulations define “specified health conditions” for the purposes of this section.

(7) For the purposes of this section “NHS bodies” has the same meaning as in the Health and Social Care Act 2012.’.

New clause 21—Inclusive and accessible education, health and social care provision—

‘(1) In exercising a function under Part 3, a local authority and NHS bodies in England must promote and secure inclusive and accessible education, health and social care provision to support children, young people and their families.

(2) Regulations will set out requirements on an authority and its partner NHS commissioning bodies to promote and secure inclusive and accessible education, health and social care provision in its local area, in particular through—

(a) the planning;

(b) the design;

(c) the commissioning or funding;

(d) the delivery; and

(e) the evaluation of such services.’.

New clause 24—Publication of information relating to Special Educational Needs tribunal cases—

‘(1) The Secretary of State must collect information on all cases related to special educational needs which are considered by the Tribunal Service, including—

(a) the local authority involved;

(b) the cost to the Tribunal Service;

(c) the amount spent by the local authority on fighting each case;

(d) the nature of each case; and

(e) the outcome of each case.

(2) The Secretary of State must collate and publish information collected in the exercise of his functions under subsection (1) once a year.

(3) The following bodies must make arrangements to provide such information to the Secretary of State as is necessary to enable him to perform his functions under this section—

(a) the Tribunal Service;

(b) local authorities.’.

Amendment 59, in clause 19, page 18, line 22, at end add—

‘(e) the right of the parent to make their own arrangements for some or all of the special educational provision under section 7 of the Education Act 1996.’.

Amendment 39, in clause 21, page 19, line 16, leave out ‘wholly or mainly’.

Amendment 60, in clause 23, page 19, line 29, leave out ‘may have’ and insert ‘probably has’.

Amendment 61, page 19, line 32, leave out ‘may have’ and insert ‘probably has’.

Amendment 46, in clause 27, page 22, line 3, at end insert—

‘(2A) If the education and care provision provided as part of the local offer is deemed insufficient to meet the needs of children and young people under subsection (2), a local authority must—

(a) publish these findings;

(b) improve that provision until it is deemed sufficient by—

(i) those consulted under subsection (3); and

(ii) Ofsted.’.

Amendment 62, in clause 28, page 23, line 29, at end insert ‘;

(n) Parent Carer Forums.’.

Amendment 66, in clause 30, page 24, line 21, leave out ‘it expects to be’ and insert ‘which is’.

Amendment 67, page 24, line 24, leave out ‘it expects to be’ and insert ‘which is’.

Amendment 30, page 24, line 34, at end insert—

‘(f) arrangements to assist young people and parents in managing a personal budget should they choose one.’.

Amendment 68, page 24, line 39, at end insert ‘, including in online communities.’.

Amendment 69, page 25, line 7, at end insert—

‘(7A) The Secretary of State shall lay a draft of regulations setting out the minimum level of specific special educational provision, health care provision and social care provision that local authorities must provide as part of their local offer, and the regulations are not to be made unless they have been approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament.

(7B) Once regulations under subsection (7A) have been made, the Secretary of State must—

(a) issued guidance to local authorities on how to meet these regulations, and

(b) publish information on these regulations accessible to the families of children and young people with special educational needs on the Department’s website, and in any other way he sees fit.’.

Amendment 65, in clause 36, page 28, line 21, at end insert—

‘(1A) A person acting on behalf of a school or a post-16 institution (“A”) must request an EHC needs assessment for a child or young person (“B”) as soon as A becomes aware that B has been diagnosed with epilepsy or a related condition.’.

Amendment 40, page 29, line 20, leave out subsection (10).

Amendment 44, in clause 37, page 30, line 8, leave out from ‘provision’ to end of line 10 and insert

‘required by the child or young person.’.

Amendment 41, page 30, line 13, leave out subsection (4).

Amendment 45, in clause 38, page 30, line 35, at end insert—

‘(g) an institution of higher education which the young person has accepted an offer from.’.

Government amendment 17.

Amendment 37, in clause 42, page 33, line 6, at end insert—

‘(2A) If the plan specifies social care provision, the responsible local authority must secure the specified social care provision for the child or young person.’.

Amendment 63, page 33, line 13, leave out ‘suitable alternative arrangements’ and insert

‘arrangements suitable to the age, ability, aptitude and special needs of the child or young person and has chosen not to receive assistance with making provision.’.

Amendment 42, in clause 44, page 34, line 3, leave out subsection (5).

Amendment 43, in clause 45, page 34, line 37, leave out subsection (4).

Amendment 64, page 34, line 39, at end insert—

‘(4A) A local authority must not cease to maintain an EHC plan on the sole ground that the child or young person is educated otherwise than at school in accordance with section 7 of the Education Act 1996.’.

Government amendments 18 to 20.

Amendment 70, in clause 48, page 36, line 21, at end add—

‘(6) This section will not have effect until an Order is made by the Secretary of State, subject to affirmative resolution by both Houses of Parliament.

(7) Before making an Order under subsection (6), the Secretary of State must lay a copy of a report before both Houses of Parliament detailing findings from the pathfinder authorities established under the Special Educational Needs (Direct Payments) (Pilot Scheme) Order 2012, including but not limited to—

(a) the impact on educational outcomes for children and young people;

(b) the quality of provision received by children and young people;

(c) the value for money achieved;

(d) the impact on services provided for children and young people without EHC plans, or those for whom direct payments were not made.

(8) The Secretary of State may not prepare a report under subsection (7) until September 2014.

(9) An Order made under subsection (6) may amend this section as the Secretary of State deems necessary to ensure the effective operation of personal budgets, having had regard to the finding of the report produced by virtue of subsection (7).’.

Government amendment 21.

Amendment 38, in clause 50, page 37, line 18, at end insert ‘;

(g) the social care provision specified in an EHC plan;

(h) the healthcare provision specified in an EHC plan.’.

Amendment 47, in page 48, line 35, leave out clause 69.

Amendment 71, in clause 65, page 45, line 37, leave out ‘19’ and insert ‘25’.

Amendment 72, page 46, line 11, leave out ‘19’ and insert ‘25’.

Amendment 73, in clause 67, page 47, line 21, leave out

‘such persons as the Secretary of State sees fit’

and insert

‘publicly, for a period of not less than 90 days’.

Amendment 74, page 47, line 22, leave out ‘by them’ and insert

‘as part of that consultation’.

Amendment 75, in clause 67, page 47, line 23, leave out subsections (3) to (8) and insert—

‘(3) A code, or revision of a code, does not come into operation until the Secretary of State by order so provides.

(4) The power conferred by subsection (3) shall be made by statutory instrument.

(5) An order bringing a code, or revision of a code, into operation may not be made unless a draft order has been laid before and approved by resolution of each House of Parliament.

(6) When an Order or draft of an order is laid, the code or revision of a code to which it relates must also be laid.

(7) No order or draft of an order may be laid until the consultation required by subsection (2) has taken place.’.

Amendment 48, in clause 72, page 49, line 46, leave out from ‘education,’ to end of line 1 on page 50.

Government amendments 22 to 25.

About this proceeding contribution

Reference

564 cc175-8 

Session

2013-14

Chamber / Committee

House of Commons chamber
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