Extract from Lords debate
on the Adoption Support Fund
(Non-Afl):...The mind-boggling
complexity that I referred to earlier relates to the fact that so
many adopted children receive multiple diagnoses. The issues of
attachment are often accompanied by sensory disorders, which may
present as Autism attention duration problems,
DCD, dyslexia and so on. Some kids may also, on top of that, be
naughty. These are all things that happen in normal life. In the
literature, misdiagnosis of a condition is frequent. Most
significantly for today’s debate, it is the attachment issues that
are considered last or not at all in that general mix. Parents may
know and say that it is an issue to which they attach the greatest
importance, given how much they know their child, but there are too
few experienced school staff to recognise the issue properly.
Exclusion tends to emphasise a breakdown in attachment. The
evidence on rates of exclusion for adopted children should ring
every alarm bell for us. I can say with certainty that it does for
the parents who write to me...
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Extract from Business
Questions
(Dulwich and West Norwood) (Lab):
Yesterday, the Equality and Human Rights Commission announced that
it is progressing legal action against the Secretary of State for
Health and Social Care over the failure to move people with
learning disabilities and Autisminto appropriate
accommodation. The action is unprecedented, but the issues that
have led to it have been known and documented at least since the
Winterbourne View scandal eight years ago. Those issues have been
raised in the Chamber on countless occasions in relation to
individual cases, such as that of Bethany and of my constituent
Matthew Garnett, yet the Government have failed to act. That
failure affects more than 2,000 families throughout the country
whose loved ones are still trapped in inappropriate accommodation,
and countless more who have battled over months and years to get
them out. Their stories are heartbreaking and their experiences
unjustifiable and unacceptable.
May we have an urgent debate, as soon as possible after the
recess, on the accommodation for people with learning
disabilities and autistic people, and can it be held in
Government time, so that the Secretary of State for Health and
Social Care can acknowledge the gravity of the situation,
apologise to the families affected and set out the urgent action
he will now take to right this wrong?
Mr Rees-Mogg: This is obviously an extraordinarily serious matter
that the whole House takes seriously and that the Government take
seriously and want to see put right. An investigation is about to
take place and the Government must obviously wait for the
outcome. Expenditure on special educational needs is increasing
by £700 million, but that is not a complete answer to what the
hon. Lady asked for and I will take up the issue with the
relevant Ministers immediately after this session.
Extract from General
Debate on the adjournment
(Guildford)
(Con):...I am delighted to have Royal Surrey County Hospital in
my constituency. Our three children were born there. The accident
and emergency department looked after me during a difficult
second-trimester miscarriage, and it was an NHS consultant at the
hospital who diagnosed our son with Autism and
offered support. I was proud that the Prime Minister put our NHS
at the front and centre of the general election campaign, and I
give heartfelt thanks to all our hard-working NHS staff. I look
forward to continuing to work on the provision of better car
parking at the hospital for both staff and patients, and
endeavouring to link the hospital with Onslow Park and Ride...
