Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that young people with SEND who are (a) in full-time further education and (b) aged 20 or above have sufficient financial support to complete their studies.

The Department for Education will be investing over £700 million in additional high needs funding to support young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in education. This represents an increase of over 11% on the funding available this year, bringing the total high needs funding budget to over £7 billion.

Every local authority will see a minimum increase of 8% per head of 2 to 18 population to their high needs funding. The Department for Education will provide provisional allocations for individual local authorities in October.

A disabled student determined to have Limited Capability for Work (Work Related Activity Group) or Limited Capability for Work Related Activity (Support Group), in receipt of PIP/DLA, who has moved from Employment and Support Allowance to Universal Credit following a change in circumstances, with no break in their claim will meet the criteria to receive Universal Credit.

A person requiring financial support is able to claim Universal Credit alongside their PIP/DLA payments.