Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

SEND: Education, Health and Care Plans

Monday 21 July 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 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial reforms include a phased transition process for managing SEND systems and deficits.
  • The transition process will extend the statutory override until the end of 2027-28.
  • Parents expressed frustration and emotional distress over the current SEND system.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 David Davis Con Goole and Pocklington
Children & Families Local Government
Context

The question follows up on the Secretary of State's earlier statement that the system is distorted with financial allocations not reflecting real needs of children. Local authorities have accumulated deficits due to no fault of their own.

Question

Given that answer, I will quote the Secretary of State. She was saying earlier that the system is so distorted that the financial allocations do not reflect the real needs of children. That means that local authorities have huge deficits through no fault of their own; they are trying to do their job. When she comes up with her new policy in the autumn, will she commit to writing off those deficits so that those authorities can do the job in the future?

Answer from The Minister for School Standards (Catherine McKinnell)

As part of our reforms, we will commence a phased transition process, which will include working with local authorities to manage their SEND systems, including their deficits, alongside an extension to the statutory override until the end of 2027-28. We will set out more details about the plan for how we will support local authorities with the historical and accruing deficits accumulated under the last Government and since, due to the appalling situation that we inherited.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The minister did not commit explicitly to writing off those deficits but rather said she would provide more details about how they will support local authorities in managing them.

How: Working On, Will Set Out

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Q2 Jen Craft Lab Thurrock
Children & Families
Context

The question arises from a meeting with SEND parents who expressed frustration and anxiety about the current system but also offered ideas for improvement.

Question

On Friday I had the privilege of spending a good few hours with SEND parents in my constituency, talking about what does not work under the current system and what we would like to see changed. There was a lot of frustration and a lot of tears. They were honest and open about their upset at the current system, but there were also a lot of ideas and a determination to make change happen, so that those who come after us do not have to go through the same stress and anxiety that we do as SEND parents. Will the Secretary of State guarantee that the voices of parents, carers and families will be integral to forming the schools White Paper that is due out in the autumn?

Answer from The Minister for School Standards (Catherine McKinnell)

I can give my hon. Friend that reassurance. I know that she is incredibly passionate about improving the SEND system, and this Government share that passion. We are not only determined to restore the trust of parents by ensuring that schools and local areas can better identify and support children; we are also working with parents and families to create that system, which we know will improve outcomes for children and their families.

Answered
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