Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the June 2019 report of the Children’s Commissioner, we need to talk: access to speech and language therapy, if he will meet with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to discuss the implications for his Department's policies of the findings of that report.

We are committed to ensuring more effective support for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). Ministers from the Department for Education (DfE) regularly discuss issues relating to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including SLCN, with ministers from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and other government departments.

On 20 May 2019, we held the first SEND ministerial roundtable meeting between ministers from the DfE, DHSC and key SEND stakeholders to help inform future SEND policy. We will also be using these meetings to help inform the SEND system leadership board which aims to improve joint working and strategic commissioning for all children and young people with SEND, including those with SLCN.

On 20 June 2019, the government issued a letter responding to the ‘Bercow: Ten Years On’ first anniversary update report, which was co-signed by ministers from the DfE, DHSC and the Ministry of Justice. The letter reaffirmed our commitment to supporting children and young people with SLCN.