Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to review cases where foster carers and children may have been adversely affected by Local Authority Designated Officer investigations; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a public inquiry into historic failures in the foster care system and related safeguarding procedures.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The local authority designated officer (LADO) is a local authority function. Local authorities are responsible for managing allegations against adults who work with children and the LADO plays a vital role in safeguarding children by overseeing the management of allegations made against adults who work with children in any capacity. To help ensure the LADO role is delivered consistently and effectively, we are working with the national LADO network to make operational guidance available. This guidance seeks to draw together current good practice to support a more consistent approach nationally.
The department has announced an ambitious reform programme to urgently address the sharp decline in foster carers and modernise fostering. The reforms establish a clear direction built on relationships, stability and trust, simplifying outdated rules, strengthening national recruitment, expanding regional collaboration and improving support.
Our primary metric will be the number of approved fostering places in local authorities and third sector providers, with the aim of creating an additional 10,000 fostering places by the end of this Parliament.
The fostering plan is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renewing-fostering-homes-for-10000-more-children.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance was issued to higher education institutions and the Student Loans Company on communicating to prospective students the potential for future changes to the terms and conditions of Plan 2 student loans.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Plan 2 student loans were designed and implemented in 2012 by previous governments, and students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements. This government therefore cannot comment on guidance that was provided to higher education institutions (HEIs) and Student Loans Company (SLC) regarding plan 2 loans.
However, both the SLC and HEIs had access to the terms and conditions of student loans available for prospective students prior to their application for financial support at the time of their studies.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential benefits of a national strategy to manage financial restructuring across the higher education sector.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department recognises the concerns of higher education (HE) providers and their staff around the ongoing financial stability of their institutions.
While HE providers are independent from government and are responsible for the pay and provision of staff, we are committed to working with the sector to create a secure future for our world-leading sector. Our decision to raise tuition fees annually in line with inflation, alongside refocusing the Office for Students on monitoring the sector’s financial health, demonstrates this commitment.
We encourage providers to work with their staff to develop sustainable models that retain talent and expertise and provide stability for the workforce and the institution. We will continue to engage regularly with the sector, unions and the employer body to better understand issues affecting HE providers and staff.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of information provided to 17–18-year-old students entering higher education in 2012 on the interest rate structure of Plan 2 student loans, including the application of Retail Price Index plus up to 3%.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Prospective students had wide access to information across a range of platforms before submitting their applications.
Plan 2 loans interest rates are applied at the Retail Price Index (RPI) only, then variable up to RPI +3% depending on earnings. Repayments are calculated solely on earnings, and not on the amount borrowed or the rate of interest applied. Crucially, any outstanding loan and interest is written off at the end of the loan term, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will commission an independent review into how student finance products, including Plan 2 loans, are communicated to prospective students, with particular regard to transparency and informed consent.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Plan 2 student loans were devised by previous administrations and students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements. Since the 2023/24 academic year, new students in England receive their loans on Plan 5 terms and conditions, not on Plan 2 terms. As Plan 2 loans are not available for prospective students in England, there is no impact on existing borrowers.
Students sign the terms and conditions of student loans before any money is paid to them. Student loans already contain borrower protections. For example, repayments are linked to income, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied. Repayments are made at a constant rate of 9% above the earnings threshold. Borrowers earning under the earnings threshold are not required to make repayments. Any outstanding loan, including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.
Student finance and higher education funding is a complex, interconnected system, and we are considering a range of options to make the system fairer. However, funding arrangements must be considered to ensure they are fiscally responsible.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government plans to introduce any additional safeguards to ensure that changes to student loan repayment terms do not have retrospective adverse impacts on existing borrowers.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Plan 2 student loans were devised by previous administrations and students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements. Since the 2023/24 academic year, new students in England receive their loans on Plan 5 terms and conditions, not on Plan 2 terms. As Plan 2 loans are not available for prospective students in England, there is no impact on existing borrowers.
Students sign the terms and conditions of student loans before any money is paid to them. Student loans already contain borrower protections. For example, repayments are linked to income, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied. Repayments are made at a constant rate of 9% above the earnings threshold. Borrowers earning under the earnings threshold are not required to make repayments. Any outstanding loan, including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.
Student finance and higher education funding is a complex, interconnected system, and we are considering a range of options to make the system fairer. However, funding arrangements must be considered to ensure they are fiscally responsible.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to introduce increased statutory rights and protections for foster carers, including safeguards against unsubstantiated allegations; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of such reforms on the stability and wellbeing of children in foster care.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not hold data centrally on the number of fostering placements at constituency level. Nationally, placement sufficiency remains under strain, which is why reforms are essential to renewing fostering and improving support for carers and children.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the report entitled Evaluation of pupil attainment and progression in Maths Schools, published in October 2025 by The Observatory for Mathematical Education.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
When forming maths policy, the department considers a broad range of evidence. The department is aware of this report and will consider it alongside evidence from a range of other stakeholders, as well as internal analysis, when designing future policy.
The government recognises the valuable contribution that maths schools make towards high-quality maths and further maths provision across the country, including in the Torbay constituency which is served by the Exeter Maths School. The department will open new maths schools in Durham and Nottingham, ensuring talented students in every region gain a chance to pursue advanced mathematics.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Plan 2 student loan interest rates on borrowers, particularly in relation to (a) long-term debt balances and (b) the ability of borrowers to (i) access mortgages and (ii) manage the cost of living.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The size of outstanding student loans does not prevent access to a mortgage, and student loan balances do not appear on borrower credit records, therefore the total size of a student’s debt is not considered in a mortgage application.
Monthly student loan repayments are considered alongside other living costs as part of the affordability check for mortgage applications along with other fixed monthly outgoings, but monthly repayments are not linked to the size of the outstanding loan.
Student loan repayments are income linked, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied, and are fixed at 9% above the earnings threshold. Borrowers earning below the earnings threshold are exempt from repayments. Outstanding loans, including accrued interest, are cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they are giving to ensure equity for children in households with no recourse to public funds in the expansion of eligibility for free school meals from September.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department has permanently extended free school meal eligibility to children in all households with no recourse to public funds (NRPF), provided they meet income thresholds set out in public guidance.
This ensures that children can access support regardless of their background or circumstances, including the immigration status of their parents.
The income thresholds for NRPF households were designed to account for the differences in household income between NRPF households and those with access to additional state support to ensure parity.
The government has set out plans to extend free school meals to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026. We continue to keep all aspects of the free school meals system, including the guidance for families with no recourse to public funds, under review.