Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with East Sussex County Council on its ability to meet pupils' EHCP needs in mainstream primary schools.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department is providing support and challenge to East Sussex to improve delivery of its special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services following the most recent local area SEND inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission in November 2024.

This inspection found that the local area partnership’s arrangements lead to inconsistent experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND. Specifically, one of the four areas for improvement was that the local area partnership should develop and embed its work with education settings on improving inclusion, so that the proportion of children and young people achieving strong outcomes increases.

East Sussex are developing a strategic plan with specific actions to address all four areas for improvement. The department and NHS England will be tracking the progress that the local area makes against this plan, including through regular engagement, and will offer support as the local area’s improvement journey continues.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to review the process by which councils allocate funding to mainstream schools to support children with EHCPs.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

The department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, following the Autumn Budget 2024. This brings total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to over £12 billion. Local authorities allocate this funding to schools, including for the costs of special provision in excess of £6,000 per annum for mainstream school pupils with education, health and care plans. The department provides operational guidance for local authorities to support their allocation of high needs funding, and this is reviewed prior to each financial year to which it applies. The full guidance for 2025/26 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high-needs-funding-arrangements-2025-to-2026.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure that schools are adequately (a) funded and (b) staffed to meet the needs of children with EHCPs in cases where the school has deemed it unsafe for the child to attend due to lack of support.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Local authorities must consult with settings before naming them in an education, health and care (EHC) plan. The setting can express concerns about being named and the local authority must consider these concerns carefully. However, if named in the plan, the setting is under a statutory duty to admit the child or young person.

Teachers have a key role to play in supporting learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and there are numerous development opportunities available to help ensure that a focus on SEND is embedded across schools.

All mainstream schools must also have a special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO), who plays an important role in helping the development and implementation of an effective special educational needs policy and provision in the school. The school should ensure that the SENCO has sufficient time and resources to carry out these functions.

Headteachers are responsible for employment in their schools, as they are best placed to understand the needs of their pupils and can make staffing decisions accordingly.

When an EHC plan is issued, the local authority is statutorily required to secure the provision specified in the plan. This usually involves providing top-up funding to the setting from its high needs budget. High needs budgets will total over £12 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, following the additional £1 billion announced at the Autumn Budget 2024.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of schools being directed to admit pupils with high levels of need without the provision of additional (a) funding and (b) support staff on (i) children’s safety and (ii) educational outcomes.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Local authorities must consult with settings before naming them in an education, health and care (EHC) plan. The setting can express concerns about being named and the local authority must consider these concerns carefully. However, if named in the plan, the setting is under a statutory duty to admit the child or young person.

Teachers have a key role to play in supporting learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and there are numerous development opportunities available to help ensure that a focus on SEND is embedded across schools.

All mainstream schools must also have a special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO), who plays an important role in helping the development and implementation of an effective special educational needs policy and provision in the school. The school should ensure that the SENCO has sufficient time and resources to carry out these functions.

Headteachers are responsible for employment in their schools, as they are best placed to understand the needs of their pupils and can make staffing decisions accordingly.

When an EHC plan is issued, the local authority is statutorily required to secure the provision specified in the plan. This usually involves providing top-up funding to the setting from its high needs budget. High needs budgets will total over £12 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, following the additional £1 billion announced at the Autumn Budget 2024.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the retention and replacement of small abattoirs in Sussex.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra recognises the vital contribution a thriving abattoir network plays in supporting local livestock producers and maintaining a resilient and competitive food supply chain.

Defra works closely with the smaller abattoir sector including through its Small Abattoirs Working Group and Small Abattoirs Task and Finish Group. In doing so, we seek to identify and promote opportunities available to the sector and to collaborate with them on addressing any challenges and concerns it may be facing.

While the Department recognises the disruption and challenges that the closure of smaller abattoirs can have on the farming community, the retention and replacement of individual abattoirs is ultimately a matter for the owners of these businesses.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2025 to Question 44342 on UK Trade with EU: Public Consultation, what discussions he has had with the EU TCA Domestic Advisory Group on improving UK-EU trade relations; and what (a) outcomes and (b) recommendations have arisen from those discussions.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Minister for the Cabinet Office Nick Thomas-Symonds oversees the UK-EU relationship including the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) and its Domestic Advisory Group (DAG).

The Minister has met the UK TCA DAG several times, including most recently on 3 September 2024 and 29 April 2025. He also met the chair and co-chairs on 4 March 2025.

The minutes and conclusions of the DAG meetings are published on https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/uk-eu-trade-and-cooperation-agreement-domestic-advisory-group

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will review the regulatory framework applied to small, local abattoirs to ensure that (a) food safety is maintained, (b) animal welfare standards are supported and (c) local food supply chains are supported.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra continues to recognise the vital contribution a thriving abattoir network plays in supporting local livestock producers and maintaining a resilient food supply chain.

The Government encourages the highest standards of meat hygiene and animal welfare at slaughter.

Legislation sets out strict requirements for meat hygiene and to protect the welfare of animals when slaughtered and Official Veterinarians of the Food Standards Agency are present in all approved slaughterhouses during slaughter operations to monitor and enforce these requirements.

We remain committed to working with abattoirs of all sizes across the UK’s meat processing sector, in tackling the challenges and opportunities they face.

UK-EU Summit

UK role in peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Community Energy Pathways and the King’s Award for Sustainable Enterprise

Eastbourne Spring Water Festival 2025

Electoral reform

Safe sleep standards in early years settings

Congratulating Prime Minister Mark Carney

UK parliamentarians sanctioned by the Russian Federation

Great British Beef Week 2025

Sentencing Guidelines and pre-sentence reports

Future of children’s palliative care

Introduction of the Hillsborough Law and the 36th anniversary

Right to peaceful protest and freedom of assembly

Gaza occupation proposals

Ensuring stability for Ukrainian refugees in the UK

Blockade of aid to Gaza

Found: Medi Siân Berry Andrew George Bell Ribeiro-Addy Nadia Whittome Ellie Chowns Dr Rupa Huq James MacCleary

Found: Medi Siân Berry Andrew George Bell Ribeiro-Addy Nadia Whittome Ellie Chowns Dr Rupa Huq James MacCleary

Found: Presented by Dr Danny Chambers supported by Dr Neil Hudson, Vikki Slade, James MacCleary, Max Wilkinson

Found: Presented by Dr Danny Chambers supported by Dr Neil Hudson, Vikki Slade, James MacCleary, Max Wilkinson

Found: Medi Siân Berry Andrew George Bell Ribeiro-Addy Nadia Whittome Ellie Chowns Dr Rupa Huq James MacCleary

Found: Manuela Perteghella supported by Dr Roz Savage, Ellie Chowns, Liz Jarvis, Sorcha Eastwood, James MacCleary