Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) support and (b) care workers who work with children and young people with SEN have access to adequate training before starting their roles.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The training that care and support workers receive before working with children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) will depend on who employs the worker, and the purpose for which they are employed. If workers are supporting children with specific medical conditions, the following guidance explains how staff should be supported and trained in line with this guidance: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ce6a72e40f0b620a103bd53/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions.pdf

For social workers, Social Work England is the regulator for the social work profession in England. It sets the professional standards that all social workers must meet throughout their careers. These standards include promoting the rights, strengths, and wellbeing of individuals, families, and communities, including those with SEND.

The department has recently consulted on new Post Qualifying Standards, which give greater clarity on the knowledge and skills expected of child and family social workers, including in relation to children with SEND.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending the VAT relief for medical supplies afforded by VAT Notice 701/57 to include automated external defibrillators supplied for community use.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.

The Government currently provides VAT reliefs to aid the purchase of defibrillators. For example, when an Automated External Defibrillator is purchased with funds provided by a charity and then donated to an eligible body, no VAT is charged. Furthermore, all state schools in England have been fitted with AEDs.

Found: Performance Committee • Scottish Railways Policing Committee Appointments outside BTPA: None ANDREW COOPER