Danny Chambers
Main Page: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)Department Debates - View all Danny Chambers's debates with the Department for Education
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Danny Chambers Excerpts(1 day, 23 hours ago)
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Georgia Gould
The previous Government had 14 years to deliver this reform. Where was any of this urgency when they were in power? I ran a council in which I saw every day the broken system we were left to operate—the one that the last Conservative Secretary of State for Education called “lose, lose, lose”. I can assure the hon. Gentleman that this is urgent for me. I have seen the problems and heard stories from across the House about the challenges that we face. We are determined to work with families, teachers and experts to get the reforms right and ensure that we do not make the mistakes that the previous Government made.
Dr Danny Chambers (Winchester) (LD)
Kim Johnson (Liverpool Riverside) (Lab)
The Minister for School Standards (Georgia Gould)
As we have already heard today and in a packed Westminster Hall debate last month, too many children and families are being let down by the current SEND system. We want children to have support when they need it, without a battle. We are already investing in early intervention and early inclusion; there is new support for SEND in the early years and £740 million available for specialist places.
Dr Chambers
In 2024, fewer than half of education, health and care plans were issued within the 20-week limit. Five months is a huge chunk of a child’s life, and parents of Winchester tell me every single week about how hard they have to fight to get the support that their child needs and is entitled to. What steps are the Government taking to ensure that EHCPs are issued in a timely manner?
Georgia Gould
Parents and children should not have to wait for support; they should have it when they need it. We are working closely with councils with waiting lists to improve provision and, if necessary, to bring in specialist SEND advice. We will continue to push on that.