Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support local authorities with the SEND system.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
To ensure all local authorities have the capacity to undertake meaningful transformation planning and delivery while maintaining current services for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), the department is investing £200 million to support local authorities to transform their SEND services.
Alongside this investment, regional teams of the department, as well as SEND and financial advisers appointed by the department, work closely with local areas to monitor progress, identify emerging risks and provide support where needed.
Local authorities and integrated care boards will be monitored for the delivery of high-quality, inclusive provision, and the department will intervene where expected standards are not met.
Areas experiencing challenges receive additional oversight, specialist advice and regular engagement to support improvement. Where serious concerns arise, the department may intervene directly, using statutory powers and the deployment of SEND advisers and commissioners to secure recovery and improve services for children and young people. Where necessary, this can include consideration of alternative governance arrangements where a local authority is found to be failing.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Autumn Budget 2026 and the Defence Investment Plan, what capital reallocation she has agreed for her Department for each year of the spending review period; and whether projects have been cancelled as a result.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has agreed capital budget reductions as its contribution to the Defence Investment Plan over the Spending Review period.
In the Autumn Budget 2026, a further 1% reduction in the department’s capital departmental expenditure limit (CDEL) budget for 2027/28 to 2029/30 was confirmed, around £230 million, in addition to the approximately £310 million contribution announced on 30 June 2026.
The department will use its normal business planning and prioritisation processes to manage these reductions, including the use of emerging underspends where appropriate.
In doing so, the department will protect core capital delivery, including rebuilding over 750 schools through the School Rebuilding Programme, £3.7 billion of investment in the provision of special education needs and disabilities over the Spending Review period, and permanently removing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) from schools and colleges by 2029.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), per month, have been submitted for the last 2 years.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department publishes information on education, health and care (EHC) plans annually in the ‘Education, Health and Care plans’ statistical publication. This document includes the overall number of requests for an EHC needs assessment.
The number of requests for an EHC needs assessment, broken down by the month the request was received, is shown in the table below:
Number of requests received during 2024 | Number of requests received during 2025 | |
January | 12,421 | 13,367 |
February | 13,124 | 13,254 |
March | 15,853 | 16,262 |
April | 11,852 | 12,328 |
May | 15,041 | 14,682 |
June | 13,662 | 15,961 |
July | 17,347 | 18,260 |
August | 5,158 | 5,326 |
September | 10,262 | 11,267 |
October | 13,323 | 13,672 |
November | 13,256 | 14,018 |
December | 13,190 | 14,305 |
Total requests received | 154,489 | 162,702 |
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether any of her Department’s statistical publications other than the Serious Incident Notifications statistics annually report the number of (i) deaths and (ii) notified deaths of care leavers aged (a) 16 to 21 and (b) 22 to 24.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As well as being reported in Serious Incident Notification statistics, information on the number of care leaver deaths for care leavers aged 17-21 is also published in the annual statistical release, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions/releases.
The latest information relating to the reporting year ending 31 March 2025 is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions#content-section-4-content-16.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many notifications of the death of a care leaver her Department received from local authorities in England between 1 April and 30 September 2026 by age (a) 16 to 21 and (b) 22 to 24.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Information on notifications of the deaths of care leavers in the 2026/27 reporting year will be published in 2027.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support university employees.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is aware that some providers are making difficult decisions around staffing to safeguard their financial sustainability. Higher education (HE) providers are autonomous institutions, and the government therefore cannot intervene in pay and workforce matters, unlike in other sectors. Nevertheless, we expect providers to work with their staff to develop sustainable models that retain talent and expertise and provide stability for the workforce and the institution.
The department remains committed to creating a secure future for our HE sector so it can continue to deliver for students, taxpayers, staff and the economy. Our decision to increase tuition fees annually in line with inflation, demonstrates this commitment.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what artificial intelligence services and tools are used by her Department; and whether her Department has a contract with providers for those services.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is committed to adopting artificial intelligence in a way that is transparent, responsible and accountable to the public.
Information about algorithmic and AI tools used by government departments to support decisions that affect members of the public, or that have a significant influence on a decision-making process with public effect, is published through the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard (ATRS). The ATRS has been mandatory for central government departments since 2024, and records are published on GOV.UK at www.gov.uk/algorithmic-transparency-records. In addition, departments may use other internal tools which do not fall within the scope of the Standard.
In line with public procurement transparency requirements, departments publish contractual information for AI services and tools on Contracts Finder and, where above the relevant threshold, on the Find a Tender Service.
AI services and tools are accessed across government through a range of commercial routes. Departments may contract directly with AI providers, access AI products via intermediated routes such as reseller arrangements where the contractual relationship sits with a partner rather than the underlying provider, or use AI capabilities delivered as features within existing enterprise software and platform contracts (for example productivity, HR or service management tools).
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, a) what AI training her Department provides, b) how many hours of AI training her Department provides and c) what topics and skills are covered.
Answered by Olivia Bailey
The department offers a wide range of artificial intelligence (AI) training to its employees, from short courses covering foundational skills through to apprenticeship and postgraduate options. These range in duration from bite-sized sessions and one-hour introductory courses to programmes lasting several months. The total combined hours of AI-related learning available to employees is at least 111 hours (excluding apprenticeships).
The training available covers a broad range of topics, including, but not limited to:
Staff across the department also have access to the Government Campus Prospectus, to request additional learning.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which programmes have been cancelled or delayed in order to fund the Department's contributions to the Defence Investment Plan.
Answered by Olivia Bailey
Around 1% of the department’s capital budget has been contributed each year between 2026/27 to 2029/30 to support the Defence Investment Plan. This contribution has now been reflected in the department's capital settlement, and we will continue to manage budgets through standard business planning and prioritisation processes.
Our core capital priorities remain unchanged, including rebuilding over 750 schools through the School Rebuilding Programme, investing almost £3 billion per year by 2034/35 in capital maintenance for schools and colleges, and £3.7 billion towards special educational needs provision in the Spending Review period. Furthermore, our commitment to permanently removing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in schools and colleges remain unchanged. By 2029, every school and college in England that is not being fully or substantially rebuilt will be RAAC free, and every school needing to be rebuilt through the School Rebuilding Programme will be in delivery.
The department’s contribution to funding the Defence Investment Plan through the c.1% top slice in capital budgets is set out below:
Financial Year | 2026/27 | 2027/28 | 2028/29 | 2029/30 |
Department Contribution | £82 million | £76 million | £76 million | £76 million |
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department will contribute per year from its capital budget towards funding the Defence Investment Plan.
Answered by Olivia Bailey
Around 1% of the department’s capital budget has been contributed each year between 2026/27 to 2029/30 to support the Defence Investment Plan. This contribution has now been reflected in the department's capital settlement, and we will continue to manage budgets through standard business planning and prioritisation processes.
Our core capital priorities remain unchanged, including rebuilding over 750 schools through the School Rebuilding Programme, investing almost £3 billion per year by 2034/35 in capital maintenance for schools and colleges, and £3.7 billion towards special educational needs provision in the Spending Review period. Furthermore, our commitment to permanently removing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in schools and colleges remain unchanged. By 2029, every school and college in England that is not being fully or substantially rebuilt will be RAAC free, and every school needing to be rebuilt through the School Rebuilding Programme will be in delivery.
The department’s contribution to funding the Defence Investment Plan through the c.1% top slice in capital budgets is set out below:
Financial Year | 2026/27 | 2027/28 | 2028/29 | 2029/30 |
Department Contribution | £82 million | £76 million | £76 million | £76 million |