Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Special Educational and Disability Needs

Tuesday 25 March 2025 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial questions addressed special educational and disability needs on 2025-03-25
  • Sarah Smith inquired about plans to ensure children with SEND are prioritized in health commissioning
  • Graham Stuart asked for statutory guidance on the Down Syndrome Act by summer and for a restricted consultation group

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Sarah Smith Lab Hyndburn
NHS Children & Families
Context

The Accrington Victoria hospital closed last year after 14 years of mismanagement, leading to the relocation of clinical services from a fully purposed building for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Question

Last year we faced the devastating closure of the Accrington Victoria hospital. A fully purposed building for children with SEND had to be used to relocate clinical services. How does the Minister plan to ensure that those with SEND are at the heart of commissioning plans and service development?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Ashley Dalton)

We will consider policies through the 10-year health plan to ensure that children with SEND are at the heart of commissioning plans. We hosted a roundtable recently with children and young people, including those with SEND, so their voices can feed directly into the 10-year plan.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions or commitments related to ensuring SEND prioritisation in NHS service development were not provided.

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Q2 Graham Stuart Con Beverley and Holderness
Women & Equalities
Context

Colleagues from across the House supported a debate calling for the Down Syndrome Act 2022 to be implemented three years after its passage. The Minister for Secondary Care stated that Down syndrome-specific guidance would be produced.

Question

Will the Minister ensure that the consultation group is restricted to organisations that represent Down syndrome people only and promise that statutory guidance will finally be issued before the end of this calendar year?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Ashley Dalton)

Work to develop the Down Syndrome Act statutory guidance is being taken forward as a priority, with a view to publishing it for consultation by the summer. It involves people with Down syndrome as part of a wider group.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific commitment to restricting the consultation group only to organisations representing Down syndrome individuals and providing a clear deadline were not given.

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