Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with local authorities to discuss their statutory responsibilities for children with disabilities.

The former Minister for Children and Families, my hon. Friend for Scarborough and Whitby (Robert Goodwill), wrote to the Directors of Children’s Services in all English local authorities on 12 September 2017 to remind them of their statutory duty to complete transfer reviews of Statements of Special Education Needs by 31 March 2018.

In addition, ministers from the Department for Education (DfE) have written to all local authorities whose areas have been inspected under the Ofsted/Care Quality Commission Special Educational Needs and Disability inspection framework, and have written again, after 12 months, to those areas identified by the inspections as having significant weaknesses. These letters follow up the key points raised in the inspection reports, including any that relate to statutory responsibilities for children with disabilities.

DfE officials, working closely with partners, including NHS England, have also engaged with local authorities, particularly those with significant weaknesses identified, to provide support and challenge on their statutory responsibilities in this area, and have seen a proactive and positive response.