Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill

This amendment goes back to our earlier discussion. It is crucial that it is considered and taken on board. Had the noble Lord, Lord Ramsbotham, been here, he would have reiterated the point that he, I and others have made; namely, that the earliest possible testing, at the age of 2, 1 or whatever, is important. I have certainly read the Rose report and was delighted that it was accepted by the Government. My only reservation was the reasoning that testing early would not help very much. Testing early may not be the only test that one needs to do, but it could be, should be and almost certainly would be an early indication of problems and the need for support in the future. We have all grown more aware of this spectrum, which used to be called autism and embraced everything. As people have realised the complexity of the whole issue, it has expanded into goodness only knows how many subsets. I very much doubt whether there is anyone in this Chamber who does not have knowledge of a relative, a friend or whoever. I declare an interest in that I have a niece who is dyslexic. What is more, I think that her father, James Stirling, who is dead now but was one of our best architects, was also dyslexic. We live with these difficulties. We could do much more to ensure that the individuals concerned are enabled to develop to the best of their potential and be a full part of the community, all of which benefits the whole community and all of us. I warmly support this amendment.