Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Education

Oral Answers to Questions

Liz Jarvis Excerpts
Monday 20th April 2026

(1 day, 11 hours ago)

Commons Chamber
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Georgia Gould Portrait Georgia Gould
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I am incredibly grateful for the work of my hon. Friend in championing children with special educational needs and disabilities, both before and during her time as a Member of Parliament, and thank her for bringing her expertise to this discussion. I would be delighted to visit and see some of the work of supported internships in practice. As I have set out, we have invested £9 million and are continuing to work with colleges to support inclusion, as well as support into employment.

Liz Jarvis Portrait Liz Jarvis (Eastleigh) (LD)
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I have been contacted by a mum in my constituency who is trying to find a supported internship for her son, who has an EHCP. Even with the “Find an apprenticeship” service, parents are left having to research and find suitable options themselves. What further action will the Minister take to ensure young people with SEND are not disadvantaged in accessing supported internships?

Georgia Gould Portrait Georgia Gould
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I welcome the hon. Lady’s question. We want to make it much easier for children with special educational needs and disabilities to find support and access opportunities, and are working closely with colleges to do that. As part of our reforms, we will be delivering new national inclusion standards that set out our expectations, and as I have said, we are investing in broadening supported internships.