Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the findings of the Disabled Children’s Partnership’s report entitled No End In Sight Report, published on 14 May 2021, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing support for specific therapies catch-up plans for disabled children as part of the covid-19 recovery.

We have no plans to make a specific assessment. However, as part of COVID-19 recovery planning we are working with the Department for Education and NHS England and NHS Improvement to improve the provision of therapies to disabled children. NHS England and NHS Improvement published guidance which makes clear that essential community services, including therapies such as speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy, must be prioritised for children and young people aged up to 25 years old with special educational needs and disabilities and who have an Education Health and Care Plan in place or who are going through an assessment for one.