Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of increasing funding for SEND provision in the Spring Budget 2024.

The Chancellor and Chief Secretary hold regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on spending priorities for fiscal events.

Spring Budget 2024 committed to an initial £105 million over the next four years towards a wave of 15 special free schools. This will create over 2,000 additional high-quality places across England for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

In the 2024/25 financial year, high needs revenue funding is rising to over £10.5 billion, an increase of over 60% from 2019/20. We also published the SEND and alternative provision improvement plan last year, which set out our plans to reform the system so that children and young people with SEND will get high-quality, early support wherever they live in the country.