Children and Families Act 2014: Education, Health and Care Plans Debate

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Department: Department for Education

Children and Families Act 2014: Education, Health and Care Plans

Lord Lexden Excerpts
Wednesday 8th December 2021

(2 years, 7 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Lord Lexden Portrait Lord Lexden (Con)
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My Lords, my noble friend’s predecessor said on 4 March last year that the special educational needs and disabilities review was

“an absolute priority for the Government.”—[Official Report, 4/3/20; col. 694.]

We heard yesterday that the Government have some difficulty in defining the word “priority” with any precision. Why, apart from Covid, has this review, which began in 2019, taken so long?

Baroness Barran Portrait Baroness Barran (Con)
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I understand my noble friend’s diplomatically put question. He is right to raise the issue of Covid, but he will also know that this is an incredibly complex area. We have set up a steering group that includes families, schools, local authorities and other independent organisations. We are committed to the deadline, which has now been announced, of publishing the Green Paper in the first quarter of next year.