Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a national body for special educational needs and disabilities to ensure consistency of support across local authorities.

The department is aware of the challenges in the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system, and we understand how urgently we need to address these. We do not, however, believe that what the SEND system needs is another body which would add to the bureaucracy in the system. Our focus is on making the system less bureaucratic and getting support to children and young people who need it, quickly and efficiently.

Details of the government's intended approach to SEND reform will be set out in a White Paper in the autumn.