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

There will be a general debate on IVF provision in Westminster Hall on 24 October 2023 at 9:30am. The debate will last for 90 minutes. This debate was chosen by the Backbench Business Committee and will be led by Kate Osborne MP.
General Debate: IVF provision (187 KB , PDF)
Difficulty conceiving is a problem that affects around one in seven couples in the UK. According to NHS Choices, more than 8 out of 10 couples, where the woman is under 40, will conceive naturally within a year if they have regular unprotected sex. For couples who have been trying to conceive for more than 3 years without success, the likelihood of getting pregnant naturally within the next year is 1 in 4, or less.
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends that couples who have been unsuccessful in conceiving after two years should be offered three full cycles of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) for women under 40, and one cycle for women between 40 and 42. However, these are guidelines, and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) are not legally required to implement them.
There is variation between ICBs in England in terms of what fertility treatments are routinely funded. The Government have published data taken from ICB commissioning policies which indicates how many IVF cycles are funded by the NHS in each area of England: NHS-funded in vitro fertilisation (IVF) in England (August 2023).
There is variation between the devolved administrations regarding funding for IVF:
NHS funding for IVF cycles varies considerably across the UK. In 2021, Scotland had the highest rate of NHS-funded IVF cycles at 58% compared to 30% in Wales and 24% in England. Figures for Northern Ireland were not available.
NHS-funded IVF cycles in England decreased from 19,634 in 2019 to 16,335 in 2021 (-17%). In Wales, they decreased from 1,094 to 704 over the same period (-36%). There was also a slight decrease (-1%) in Scotland.
General Debate: IVF provision (187 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
A general debate on giving every child the best start in life is scheduled to take place in the House of Commons Chamber on Wednesday 16 July 2025.
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