To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the funding of training of educational psychologists. (133156)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) pursuant to the answer of 30 November 2006, Official Report, column 879W, on educational psychologists, what the outcomes were of the meeting with representatives of educational psychologists and the local authority employers’ side on the funding arrangements for those wishing to train to become an educational psychologist; (133310)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the Local Government Association on its distribution to local authorities of funding for educational psychology training places for 2007-08. (133390)

Educational psychologists are employed by local authorities. Decisions on their recruitment, retention and deployment are matters for those authorities as employers to determine in light of local circumstances and available resources. The Department makes no manpower planning assessment for this group of local authority employees.

Funding for the training of EPs has previously come from within the Local Government Employers’ (LGE) organisation’s top slice of the Revenue Support Grant (RSG), as distributed by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). For the 2007-08 RSG settlement, the LGE top slice was reduced by £2.088 million and distributed by the DCLG to local authorities through formula grant, as proposed by the Local Government Association (LGA).

As we made clear in our response to the House of Commons Education and Skills Select Committee report on special educational needs (October 2006, Cm 6940), we do not believe that it would be appropriate for us to intervene in the funding arrangements for those wishing to become EPs. Local authorities, and their representative body the LGA, should determine these issues.

Lord Adonis, the Under-Secretary of State for Schools, met with representatives of the educational psychology profession and the local authority employers’ side on 23 January 2007 for an update on the funding arrangements. As a result of those discussions, it was agreed that the Children’s Workforce Development Council would help facilitate further discussions between the employers’ side, in the form of the LGA, representatives of the EP professional interests, and training providers. We expect a report on those discussions shortly.