Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on establishing a new multi-sensory impairment (MSI) education fund in the Spring Budget 2022.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has not had any such discussions. The department does not currently have plans to create funding streams for specific types of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This is because the department believes decisions around funding for SEND provision are best taken locally.

Under the Children and Families Act 2014, local authorities and schools have the responsibility to support children and young people with SEND. They are best placed to decide how to prioritise their spending on the range of resources and activities that will best support their pupils.

The department is firmly committed to ensuring that children with SEND, including those with multi-sensory impairments, receive the support they need to succeed in their early years, at school, and at college.

High needs funding, which is specifically for supporting children with more complex SEND, including those with multi-sensory impairments, will be increasing by £1 billion in the financial year 2022/23, bringing the overall total of funding for high needs to £9.1 billion. This unprecedented increase of 13%, compared to the financial year 2021/22, comes in addition to the £1.5 billion increase over the last two years.

I also refer the hon. Member for Ealing Central and Acton to the answer I gave on 8 March 2022 to Question 133247.