00:00Can I just remind members, the word you keeps creeping in, I think a lot of people have done it today and that means me and I certainly haven't done any of those things.
00:08So can we just refer to each other as honourable members or honourable friends and the next example who will exemplify this is Greg Stafford.
00:17Thank you very much Dr Huck and it's a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship and I want to thank the honourable member for South Cotswolds for leading the debate on this petition.
00:24Across my Farnham and Borden constituency we are fortunate to have excellent specialist provision in the community, the Hollywater School, in the independent side, the Undershore Education Trust, Morehouse and Pathways and in the academy sector, the Abbey and the Ridgeway.
00:39But however good these providers are, the wider picture is stark.
00:43Demand is surging, particularly for autism and social, emotional and mental health needs.
00:47Surrey is rightly investing with nearly £190 million committed to expand provision and create thousands of new places, plus an extra £4.9 million approved in July to recruit staff and reduce caseloads.
01:02Three new special schools are planned as part of the long-term SEND capital programme.
01:07But this programme and progress is in jeopardy.
01:09The Department for Education has just paused that capital funding for those schools, funding agreed under the last Conservative government to expand local provision and reduce reliance on the independent sector.
01:21Without it, Surrey faces a shortfall of 500 places, forcing children into the independent sector at an extra cost of roughly £26.5 million each year.
01:32Surrey has made it clear it cannot meet the Department's targets without that funding.
01:36And that's why I wrote to the Secretary of State to ask why this funding has been withheld, and what bridging support will be offered, and how the Department will ensure vulnerable children are not left waiting at the start of the term.
01:47So far, no response.
01:50In Surrey, there have been constructive cross-party discussions on these issues.
01:53I particularly want to recognise my honourable friend, the Member for Reigate, who has worked closely with me, not just for her constituents, but to push this agenda across Surrey.
02:02Instead, we hear rumours that this Government may scrap the EHCPs altogether.
02:08That would be disastrous.
02:11Such a move would not be reform, it would be abdication, driven not by evidence, but by ideology.
02:16It betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of the life-changing role specialist provision plays in our system.
02:22So today, I urge the Minister to act.
02:24To end the delays in EHC assessments and convene a cross-party MPs forum with parents and stakeholders to drive urgent solutions.
02:31To commit to long-term investment, to reinstate that capital grant and back bids from high-pressure areas like Surrey and Hampshire.
02:38And to protect parental rights, uphold children's legal entitlements and guarantee EHCPs remain the foundation of SEND support.
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