Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the level of NHS provision on families seeking private (a) assessments and (b) therapies for children with dyspraxia in Surrey.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population.
Children with developmental coordination disorder, commonly known as dyspraxia, access support through local National Health Service occupational therapy, paediatrics, physiotherapy, and educational services.
NHS guidance sets out a referral process which typically begins with a general practitioner, health visitor, or a Special Educational Needs Coordinator, who may refer the child to paediatric occupational therapy and physiotherapist for assessment and support. The NHS guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/developmental-coordination-disorder-dyspraxia/
For the first time, we have set a target for systems to work to reduce long waits for community health services. By 2028/29 at least 80% of community health services activity should take place within 18 weeks, bringing community health services in line with targets for elective care.
Surrey Health provides occupational therapy support for children with dyspraxia of all ages. They provide speech and language therapy support for children under five years old who have verbal dyspraxia and a school aged speech and language therapy service for children over five years old.
Referrals for continence, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and physiotherapy can be made directly by parents/carers as well as the child’s health visitor, general practitioner, therapist, early years’ service, hospital paediatricians, audiology service, Mindworks Surrey, and other agencies.
This is for speech and language therapy support for those under five years old, and therefore not in a school setting, and for occupational therapy of all ages. If a child is in school and requires speech and language therapy, the referral is through the school as the service is a school-based service.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to ensure (a) early intervention and (b) continuity of care for children diagnosed with dyspraxia in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population.
Children with developmental coordination disorder, commonly known as dyspraxia, access support through local National Health Service occupational therapy, paediatrics, physiotherapy, and educational services.
NHS guidance sets out a referral process which typically begins with a general practitioner, health visitor, or a Special Educational Needs Coordinator, who may refer the child to paediatric occupational therapy and physiotherapist for assessment and support. The NHS guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/developmental-coordination-disorder-dyspraxia/
For the first time, we have set a target for systems to work to reduce long waits for community health services. By 2028/29 at least 80% of community health services activity should take place within 18 weeks, bringing community health services in line with targets for elective care.
Surrey Health provides occupational therapy support for children with dyspraxia of all ages. They provide speech and language therapy support for children under five years old who have verbal dyspraxia and a school aged speech and language therapy service for children over five years old.
Referrals for continence, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and physiotherapy can be made directly by parents/carers as well as the child’s health visitor, general practitioner, therapist, early years’ service, hospital paediatricians, audiology service, Mindworks Surrey, and other agencies.
This is for speech and language therapy support for those under five years old, and therefore not in a school setting, and for occupational therapy of all ages. If a child is in school and requires speech and language therapy, the referral is through the school as the service is a school-based service.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of regional variations in access to occupational therapy services for children with dyspraxia.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population.
Children with developmental coordination disorder, commonly known as dyspraxia, access support through local National Health Service occupational therapy, paediatrics, physiotherapy, and educational services.
NHS guidance sets out a referral process which typically begins with a general practitioner, health visitor, or a Special Educational Needs Coordinator, who may refer the child to paediatric occupational therapy and physiotherapist for assessment and support. The NHS guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/developmental-coordination-disorder-dyspraxia/
For the first time, we have set a target for systems to work to reduce long waits for community health services. By 2028/29 at least 80% of community health services activity should take place within 18 weeks, bringing community health services in line with targets for elective care.
Surrey Health provides occupational therapy support for children with dyspraxia of all ages. They provide speech and language therapy support for children under five years old who have verbal dyspraxia and a school aged speech and language therapy service for children over five years old.
Referrals for continence, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and physiotherapy can be made directly by parents/carers as well as the child’s health visitor, general practitioner, therapist, early years’ service, hospital paediatricians, audiology service, Mindworks Surrey, and other agencies.
This is for speech and language therapy support for those under five years old, and therefore not in a school setting, and for occupational therapy of all ages. If a child is in school and requires speech and language therapy, the referral is through the school as the service is a school-based service.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of support available in mainstream state schools for pupils with dyspraxia who do not meet the threshold for an Education, Health and Care Plan in Surrey.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Every child in our country deserves the best possible educational experience, one that is academically stretching, where every child and young person feels like they belong, and that sets them up for life and work.
The department knows from our extensive engagement with parents, teachers, local authority staff and leaders, charities and others that there are significant challenges in the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system. They need to be addressed urgently. But we must ensure we do so in a way that builds trust and confidence in the system and leads to improved outcomes for children and young people.
The department will set out our proposals for reform in a Schools white paper and we will consult widely on these proposals and continue to work with a wide range of partners to refine and deliver them.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of unmet special educational needs relating to dyspraxia on pupil wellbeing, attainment and school attendance.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Where a pupil is not attending school due to unmet or additional needs, including dyspraxia, the ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance sets out clear expectations on how schools, local authorities and wider services work together to access and provide the right support to improve attendance.
We understand that early identification and intervention is critical in improving the outcomes of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, therefore we are supporting settings by strengthening the evidence base of what works. The government will set out proposals for reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities system through a Schools white paper in due course.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the specific challenges that face adults with learning difficulties in accessing health services; and what actions he is taking to ensure that they receive an acceptable level of service.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
A learning difficulty is a reduced ability for a specific form of learning and includes conditions such as dyslexia and dyspraxia. These are life-long conditions.
Under the Equality Act 2010, public sector organisations are required to make changes in their approach or provision to ensure that services are accessible to disabled people as well as to everybody else.
Reasonable adjustments can make a real difference to people’s care and are based on physical or mental impairment, not on diagnosis. The Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag is being rolled out across health and care services to ensure that disabled people’s reasonable adjustments are recorded and shared, enabling support to be tailored appropriately. This is supported by e-learning for all health and social care staff. All organisations that provide National Health Service care or adult social care must also follow the Accessible Information Standard.
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population. Further information on specific learning difficulties can be found on the NHS website.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing routine monitoring and data collection on neurodivergent Service Personnel, including those with conditions beyond Specific Learning Differences; and whether his Department plans to revise the guidance entitled JSP 822, Volume 7, to require such monitoring.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence is committed to a diverse workforce and regularly reviews both its policies and its data collection requirements on neurodiversity, however, there are no current plans to revise Joint Service Publication 822 Defence Direction for Training and Education (Volume 7, Specific Learning Differences) to specifically require monitoring of neurodiversity status.
As at 1 July 2025, two per cent of Serving UK Regular Armed Forces personnel had a read code for autism, ADHD, dyslexia or dyspraxia entered into their electronic medical record. This figure is a minimum; if personnel have not discussed their condition with their military GP, they will not have a read code for the condition in their medical record.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department holds data on the proportion of neurodivergent service personnel.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence is committed to a diverse workforce and regularly reviews both its policies and its data collection requirements on neurodiversity, however, there are no current plans to revise Joint Service Publication 822 Defence Direction for Training and Education (Volume 7, Specific Learning Differences) to specifically require monitoring of neurodiversity status.
As at 1 July 2025, two per cent of Serving UK Regular Armed Forces personnel had a read code for autism, ADHD, dyslexia or dyspraxia entered into their electronic medical record. This figure is a minimum; if personnel have not discussed their condition with their military GP, they will not have a read code for the condition in their medical record.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish a breakdown of spending on Disability Living Allowance on children with (a) neurodevelopmental and (b) mental health disorders in each of the last 3 years for which data is available.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information is in the table:
Financial Year | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
Neurodevelopmental Expenditure (£ millions) | 1,770 | 2,210 | 2,660 |
Mental Health Expenditure (£millions) | 560 | 850 | 1,230 |
Points to note:
o Personality disorder
o PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)
o Stress reaction disorders
o GAD (generalised anxiety disorder)
o Phobia specific
o Phobia social
o Agoraphobia
o Panic disorder
o Anxiety disorders
o OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder)
o Anxiety and depression
o Conversion disorder
o BDD (Body Dysmorphia Disorder)
o Dissociative disorders
o Depressive disorder
o Bipolar
o Mood disorders
o Schizophrenia
o Schizoaffective disorder
o Psychotic disorders
o Anorexia nervosa
o Bulimia nervosa
o Eating disorder not specified
o Munchausen syndrome
o Factitious disorder
o Psychiatric disorders of childhood
o Learning Disability
o Speech and Language Disorders
o Autism
o Asperger’s Syndrome
o Dyspraxia
o Hyperkinetic disorder
o ADHD/ADD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder)
Asked by: Baroness Bull (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government why dyscalculia is not included in the NHS A-Z Conditions, while dyslexia and dyspraxia are included.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Dyscalculia is a learning difficulty that affects the ability to use and acquire mathematical skills. We want all children who struggle with maths or any other subject to be able to receive the appropriate support so they can succeed in their education. The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Code of Practice is clear that meeting the needs of a child or young person with special educational needs and/or a disability does not require a diagnostic label or test.
NHS England advises that the NHS.UK website is not intended to cover every condition, treatment, or service the National Health Service provides. If something is not currently covered, it does not mean the NHS does not recognise it. The key factors considered include:
NHS England appreciates the importance of providing information for conditions like dyscalculia and will continue to review and assess requests to ensure the NHS website best serves the needs of the public.