To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will introduce legislative proposals to require local authorities to replace failing pupil referral units with a specified alternative. (247261)

We intend to introduce the power for the Secretary of State to direct a local authority to replace a pupil referral unit that is in special measures with a specified alternative in the forthcoming Children, Skills and Learning Bill, which was announced in the Queen's Speech on 3 December 2008.

This will fulfil the commitment we made in the White Paper, ‘Back on Track’, which was published in May 2008.