Written Question·Department for Education·UIN 37423

Employment Tribunals Service: Suffolk

Tabled: 11 March 2025
Answered: 19 March 2025

Question

Jenny Riddell-Carpenter

LabourSuffolk Coastal

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the potential cost to the public purse was of funding from her Department to Suffolk County Council to help pay for Tribunal fees for each year between 2019-2023.

Answer

Catherine McKinnell
The department does not fund local authorities to cover the costs associated with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) first-tier tribunal hearings. Local authorities fund their legal costs from their operational budgets.