MPs debate provision of education for children with autism
17 July 2014
On Thursday 17 July MPs took part in a debate in the House of Commons Chamber on the provision of education for children with autism. This debate was scheduled by the Backbench Business Committee.
Watch the debate and read the transcript
The debate was opened by Gordon Birtwistle, Liberal Democrat MP for Burnley. Shadow Education Minister Steve McCabe responded on behalf of the Opposition. Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education, Edward Timpson, responded to the debate on behalf of the Government.
- Watch Parliament TV: MPs debate provision of education for children with autism
- Read Commons Hansard: MPs debate provision of education for children with autism
How the subject for debate was selected
The subject for this debate was determined by the Backbench Business Committee following representation from Gordin Birtwistle, Nigel Evans and Robert Flello at the Committee meeting on Tuesday 1 July 2014.
Backbench Business Committee
The Backbench Business Committee meets weekly on Tuesdays at 3pm to consider requests for debates from any backbench Members of Parliament on any subject, including those raised in e-petitions or national campaigns.
An MP must make a representation before the Committee for an e-petition or petition to be debated; e-petitions exceeding the Government's 100,000 signature threshold are not automatically allocated backbench time.
The Committee then has to decide how to allocate the limited Parliamentary time it has at its disposal. The Committee's meetings are always conducted in public and can be watched on Parliament TV.