Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle the backlog in health and services for disabled children.

To tackle backlogs in elective care, including where accessed by disabled children, the Government plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to drive up and protect elective activity. This funding could deliver the equivalent of around nine million more checks and procedures and will mean the National Health Service in England can aim to deliver approximately 30% more elective activity by 2024/25 than before the pandemic.

In addition, the Department for Education is providing support for families of children with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability). This support includes an investment of £6.1 million this financial year to strengthen the participation of parents and young people in the SEND system. The Department for Education is also investing £27.3 million this year to support low-income families with seriously ill or disabled with the cost of equipment, goods and services through Support for Families with Disabled Children Funding.