Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill

I sympathise with the amendment and thoroughly support the way in which my noble friend Lord Rix presented it. From some of the briefing that I have had from the department, I think that the intention behind this was in fact a good one: at the same time as hoping that there would be value for money, which is a perfectly sensible thing to say, the intention was that the local education authority would take into account the special needs of people with disabilities. I have some sympathy with the Government, but equally I feel that they have made the situation worse. Maybe the answer will be to take the whole thing back and try to do it as simply as possible to get the message across. Above all, I was going to make the same point as my noble friend Lord Ramsbotham. We all know that there is inconsistency and a postcode lottery as far as local education authorities are concerned. By no means are those with most resources necessarily the most generous. Let us put it like that. I hope very much that we will get some reassurance. I hope that there will be something rather more dramatic from the Government, and that they will take this whole thing away. Quite clearly, it is not going to work. That was outlined in the other place and it was definitely stated again in your Lordships’ House.