Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the special schools eye care service has adequate funding to enable the long-term commissioning of those services.

NHS England has committed to invest up to £12.7 million annually on the provision of sight tests and associated optical vouchers in special educational settings. This represents an approximate 87% increase compared to the current budget. This additional investment has the potential to increase coverage from 4% of special educational settings to 100%. NHS England has already engaged with the Optical Fees Negotiating Committee, which includes the Association of Optometrists.