Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of his Department’s ability to meet the Government’s 2024 target of a 50 per cent reduction in inpatient beds for people with a learning disability and/or autism.

The latest NHS Digital Assuring Transformation data, as at the end of April 2021, shows there were 2,040 people with a learning disability and autistic people in specialist-in patient settings in England. This is a net reduction of 30% on the inpatient number in March 2015.

The Building the Right Support Delivery Board has been established to drive further progress in reducing the number of people with a learning disability and autistic people in specialist in patient settings. The Board is monitoring progress to ensure the target is met.