Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the shortage of health visitors on (a) children with special educational needs and disabilities and (b) other vulnerable children.

It is the responsibility of local authority commissioners and their service provider to determine health visitor numbers, based on local health needs. Guidance is that health visitor-led needs assessments should determine interventions or referrals for children with special education needs and disabilities or other vulnerabilities.