To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the number of statements maintained by individual local education authorities for each year for which figures are available.

The number of children with statements of special educational needs maintained by each local education authority in England in January each year from 1986 to 1992 is given in the table. Information on children with statements was collected for the first time in January 1984. In that year 18,545 children in England had statements and, in the following year, 18,622.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what measures and resources he will make available to reduce the age at which children with special educational needs are identified.

The Education Bill currently before Parliament requires the Secretary of State to issue a code of practice giving practical guidance to schools, local education authorities and others on the exercise of their responsibilities towards all pupils with special educational needs and to which they must have regard. My right hon. Friend the Minister of State said on 29 April in another place that a guiding principle of the code of practice would be that the needs of all children with special educational needs—of school age and pre-school age—should be identified and assessed as early as possible and as quickly as is consistent with thoroughness. It would also promote the principle that the early identification of special educational needs and early action to address those needs can be the most effective means of preventing or alleviating later difficulties. We shall be consulting fully on the draft code which will then be subject to the affirmative resolution procedures of Parliament before it can be issued. The Education Bill also carries forward the powers of LEAs to assess and make statements for children under two and the duties of DFIAs and national health service trusts towards children under five who may have special educational needs.