16.—(1) This regulation applies where a board has—
(a)served a notice on a parent under Article 15;
(b)received a request from a child’s parent under Article 20(1) to arrange for an assessment to be made; or
(c)received a request from a responsible body under Article 20A(1) to arrange for an assessment to be made,
and it is necessary under Article 16(1) for the board to make a statement.
(2) Subject to paragraph (3), the period within which a board shall serve on the child’s parent a proposed statement under paragraph 2 of Schedule 2 to the 1996 Order shall be 18 weeks beginning with the date on which it served the notice referred to in paragraph (1)(a) or received the request referred to in paragraph (1)(b) or (c), as the case may be.
(3) A board need not comply with the time limit referred to in paragraph (2) if it is impractical to do so for any of the reasons mentioned in regulation 11(7).