Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to engage people with Down Syndrome in policy development following the consultation entitled Down Syndrome Act 2022 draft statutory guidance, published on 5 November 2025.

Through the implementation of the Down Syndrome Act 2022, the Government is striving to improve life outcomes for people with Down syndrome, raise awareness and understanding of their needs, and break down barriers to opportunity that they, and other disabled people, face.

Under the Down Syndrome Act, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, is required to give guidance to relevant authorities in health, social care, education, and housing services on what they should be doing to meet the needs of people with Down syndrome. The Department engaged extensively with stakeholders, including people with lived experience of Down syndrome, to inform the development of the draft guidance, which was published for public consultation on 5 November 2025.

The consultation on the draft guidance closed on 30 March 2026. The Government will consider the responses received through the consultation to inform the final guidance to be published.