Special Educational Needs: support in England
An overview of the current system of support for children and young people with special educational needs, and pressure on the system. Updated with new 2024-25 SEND incidence and EHC plan data

This Briefing Paper has been prepared for the Second Reading of the Off-patent Drugs Bill 2015 on 6 November 2015.
The Off-patent drugs Bill 2015 (507 KB , PDF)
The Off-patent Drugs Bill 2015 is a Private Members’ Bill tabled by Nick Thomas-Symonds after he came eighth in the Private Members’ Bill ballot this year. It had its first reading on the 24 June and is tabled for Second Reading on 6 November 2015. It is the second Bill on the list for consideration on this day.
The Bill intends to address the situation where a drug that has an expired patent is discovered to be effective for a new indication that is not within the scope of its licence. It would require the Secretary of State:
Nick Thomas-Symonds described the Bill and its intentions in an article for the Independent in July 2015. He said that it would improve access to low-cost treatments for a range of conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, Breast Cancer and Multiple Sclerosis.
A very similar Private Member’s Bill was tabled by Jonathan Evans MP in the 2014 Parliament. This did not pass Second Reading. In responding to the Bill, the Under-Secretary of State for Life Sciences said that the Government agreed with the intention of the Bill but did not believe it was necessary, as doctors can already prescribe ‘off-label’ where this in the patient’s best interests and there is no licensed alternative.
The Bill has support from a number of medical charities, including Breast Cancer Now, Multiple Sclerosis Society UK and the Cure Parkinson’s Trust.
The Off-patent drugs Bill 2015 (507 KB , PDF)
An overview of the current system of support for children and young people with special educational needs, and pressure on the system. Updated with new 2024-25 SEND incidence and EHC plan data
The Rare Cancers Bill 2024-2025 had its second reading on Friday 14 March 2025. It was considered in Public Bill Committee on 2 July 2025 and report stage is scheduled for 11 July 2025. This is a private members' bill.
This briefing focuses on two disease-modifying dementia drugs that are currently being appraised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE): lecanemab and donanemab