Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill

I too support Amendment 94 and express my gratitude to the noble Lord, Lord Rix, for tabling it. I will concentrate particularly on the use of the word "might" rather than "would" in line 37 of subsection (4)(e) of new Section 15ZA of the 1996 Act. It seems quite inevitable that this subsection will lead to less provision for those with learning difficulties because the way in which it is phrased means that a local authority is bound to pay what seems unnecessarily immense caution to just the possibility that there might be disproportionate expenditure in the future. I am aware of how much effort and energy goes into providing often excellent provision for those with learning difficulties. There will, it seems, inevitably be a restriction in that provision if we do not do something about this whole section of the Bill and, in particular, line 37. I hope that the Minister will be able to comment on the use of the word "might" in that line.