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Committee publication · Correspondence · 30 April 2026

Letter to Secretary of State on response to SEND consultation dated 30.04.26

From: Education Committee

Inquiry: Solving the SEND Crisis

Summary

Helen Hayes MP, Chair of the Education Committee, writes to Secretary of State Bridget Phillipson demanding a full government response to the Committee's September 2025 SEND crisis report. The Committee accepted a December interim response conditional on the February Schools White Paper enabling a full response. With over two months elapsed since the White Paper's publication, Hayes emphasises the delay breaches the two-month commitment to parliamentary scrutiny and requests immediate confirmation of response timing.

Key findings

  • The Education Committee published 'Solving the SEND crisis' report on 18 September 2025, containing 95 conclusions and recommendations that were widely welcomed across the sector.
  • Government provided only an interim response on 11 December 2025, citing the pending Schools White Paper as justification for withholding a full response.
  • Schools White Paper was published 23 February 2026, over two months ago, yet no full government response has been forthcoming.
  • The Committee asserts the government has undertaken to respond to select committee reports within two months of publication, and timing should not be dictated by government convenience.
  • Delayed response undermines effective parliamentary scrutiny and prevents Members from assessing government position on the report's conclusions and recommendations.

Tone

Procedural

Topics

special-education-needsparliament-scrutinyeducation-policy

Key actors

Helen Hayes MP, Bridget Phillipson MP, Education Committee, Department for Education

Notable line

“… it should not be the case that the timing of a response is dictated by the convenience of the Government”

Key Quotes

“The Committee is now concerned at the long delay in providing a full response to our report.”
— Helen Hayes MP · Expressing concern about government response timeline
“The Committee considers a timely Government response to be essential to effective parliamentary scrutiny and to enabling Members to assess the Government's position on the report's conclusions and recommendations.”
— Helen Hayes MP · Justifying the importance of prompt government response
“… it should not be the case that the timing of a response is dictated by the convenience of the Government”
— Helen Hayes MP · Challenging government's delay justification
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Source · parliament.uk record ↗