Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on increasing the level of funding for children's social care services.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and the department discuss and work with other government departments on a regular basis, including HM Treasury, on a range of issues.

In recent years, the government has boosted real-terms funding to local authorities. This includes the social care grant, which has increased from £410 million in 2019 to £2.35 billion in 2022.

This means that in 2022, overall, local authorities have access to £54.1 billion core spending power to deliver their services, including for children and young people. This is £3.7 billion more than in 2021/22.