Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions her Department has had with transport companies providing services for children with SEND on changes to employer National Insurance contributions.

Home-to-school travel is an integral part of the school system and provides a valuable service on which many families rely. Officials across departments engage regularly with local authorities to understand the challenges they face and will continue to monitor this situation. The Department for Education do not expect there to be a significant impact on home-to-school travel for children with special educational needs and disabilities. Local authorities are responsible for arranging home-to-school travel and deliver this through a range of in-house services and external providers.

The £515m of additional funding made available to help local government manage the impact of changes to employer NICs has been determined based on a national assessment of the costs for directly employed staff across the public sector. However, this funding is unringfenced and it is for LAs to determine how to use this funding across relevant services and responsibilities.