Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Northern Ireland Executive about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and young people with special educational needs.

Northern Ireland Office Ministers are in regular contact with Northern Ireland Executive Ministers regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As education is a devolved matter, the education Minister Peter Weir is rightly leading the response for education matters in Northern Ireland.

We are delighted to see that Minister Weir is determined to improve the current system of special educational provision and support pupils with special educational needs (SEN) to meet their full potential.

On 30 September, Minister Weir launched a public consultation which will improve the provision of education for children and young people with special educational needs. The Minister has also announced funding of £7.5m to deliver a new SEN framework which will provide additional resources for schools.

As a Government, we promised to do whatever it takes to get through this together - as one United Kingdom, and we will continue to work closely with the devolved administrations to ensure they have the funding and resources needed to tackle the impacts of COVID-19.