Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of access to an Education Health Care Plan on supporting young people with SEND.

The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper sets out the government’s assessment of the challenges that the SEND and AP system face, including education, health and care (EHC) plans. The government has published its proposals to deliver improvements through developing reformed templates and guidance to deliver a nationally consistent EHC plan process. which makes greater use of digital technology, with the aim to increase consistency and the speed with which support is put in place.

The government continues to support local authorities with their core budgets, increased to £60 billion for the next financial year. Local authorities have the flexibility to spend according to local needs and priorities, including to undertake the EHC needs assessments.