Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department issues guidance on membership of the Chinese Communist Party being a declarable interest for university senior staff and trustees.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Education is a devolved matter, and this response outlines the information for England only.

Higher education (HE) providers are independent and autonomous bodies, and as such are responsible for designing and implementing their own policies.

As the independent regulator, it is the role of the Office for Students to monitor and assess registered universities’ compliance with its conditions of registration, including those relating to good governance, and to take regulatory action where they have been breached. This includes that higher education providers must uphold public interest governance principles, which encompasses management of conflicts of interest.

We are clear that foreign interference in the HE sector is unacceptable, and whilst there are a range of existing requirements on universities to protect against it, we believe more should be done to support providers to proportionately mitigate risk. We set out our considerations in the ‘Future of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act’ policy paper published in June 2025, and are taking steps to share good practice, raise awareness and develop new responses where necessary.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has plans to review the Disability Student Allowance.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department keeps all support funded through the Disabled Students’ Allowance under regular review to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of disabled students. Any future changes will be communicated publicly.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve the quality and availability of industry placements for T Levels.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

T Levels are providing excellent opportunities for young people to progress into skilled jobs and careers, and 96% of students in receipt of a T Level result completed their industry placement last year.

The national Skills for Life campaign raises awareness of skills development that includes T Levels, ensuring businesses and learners understand their value. Our network of over 1,000 T Level Ambassadors builds T Level understanding and engagement in the business community.

The department supports employers to host high-quality placements through guidance, workshops and direct support. Our digital Connect service supports local providers and employers to connect with each other and our updated delivery approaches allow greater flexibility for providers to design a high-quality placement experience.

We provide targeted support for industry placements in specific sectors and localities, with seven industry placement coordinators currently in local NHS integrated care systems, and an employer support fund supporting small and medium sized enterprises and priority sectors with the essential costs of hosting a placement.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to extend the period by which UK nationals and family members living in (a) the EEA and (b) Switzerland at the end of the transition period will be eligible for home fee status, tuition fee and maintenance support to courses starting beyond 1st January 2028.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

UK nationals and their children living in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland who wish to study in the UK will be eligible for automatic home fee status and student support for courses starting up to seven years from the end of the transition period.

The seven-year period ensures that eligible UK nationals and their children whose normal place of residence is in the EEA or Switzerland will still be able to access home fee status and student financial support in England immediately on their return to the UK.

From 1 January 2028, UK nationals and their children must normally have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) for three years immediately before the start of their course to qualify for automatic home fee status and student support. There are no plans to extend this period.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has assessed the potential merits of extending eligibility for government-backed student finance to standalone commercial pilot training courses; and what discussions her Department has had with the Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority on the potential merits of recognising pilot training as an eligible education route.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The courses designated for higher education student finance are set out in secondary legislation. To attract funding, students studying in England must generally be undertaking a course leading to a designated qualification at a provider registered with the Office for Students.

The funding available for designated programmes, including pilot training, does not normally extend to costs associated with the commercial pilot’s licence and flying experience.

The department has previously explained this position to the Department for Transport.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 6 January 2026 to Question 99790 on Free Schools, if she will make it her policy to undertake a new assessment against the (a) selection criteria and (b) geographical context on Swift Academy.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The criteria for the mainstream free schools pipeline review were set out in the Written Ministerial Statement laid on 22 October 2024. The department assessed the local need for school places, value for money and whether projects would provide a distinctive local offer or risk negatively impacting other local schools.

The department has offered feedback to local authorities, trusts and MPs with a related pipeline free school project.

We keep all pipeline projects under review to ensure that they meet a need for places and represent value for public money. This includes the use of annually published pupil place planning data, which informs ministerial decision‑making.

In 2016, the previous government ran a central free school programme application wave, which was open to all trusts to submit proposals for new free schools. All applications received were assessed against the published selection criteria in the How To Apply Guidance.

Local consultation is also undertaken prior to the opening of any new free school, enabling residents and other interested parties to provide their views on the proposal.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 6 January 2026 to Question 99790 on Free Schools, which trusts her Department invited in 2016.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The criteria for the mainstream free schools pipeline review were set out in the Written Ministerial Statement laid on 22 October 2024. The department assessed the local need for school places, value for money and whether projects would provide a distinctive local offer or risk negatively impacting other local schools.

The department has offered feedback to local authorities, trusts and MPs with a related pipeline free school project.

We keep all pipeline projects under review to ensure that they meet a need for places and represent value for public money. This includes the use of annually published pupil place planning data, which informs ministerial decision‑making.

In 2016, the previous government ran a central free school programme application wave, which was open to all trusts to submit proposals for new free schools. All applications received were assessed against the published selection criteria in the How To Apply Guidance.

Local consultation is also undertaken prior to the opening of any new free school, enabling residents and other interested parties to provide their views on the proposal.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 6 January 2026 to Question 99790 on Free Schools, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the surplus of school places in Walsall and Bloxwich constituency on the decision whether to proceed with the Swift Academy.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The criteria for the mainstream free schools pipeline review were set out in the Written Ministerial Statement laid on 22 October 2024. The department assessed the local need for school places, value for money and whether projects would provide a distinctive local offer or risk negatively impacting other local schools.

The department has offered feedback to local authorities, trusts and MPs with a related pipeline free school project.

We keep all pipeline projects under review to ensure that they meet a need for places and represent value for public money. This includes the use of annually published pupil place planning data, which informs ministerial decision‑making.

In 2016, the previous government ran a central free school programme application wave, which was open to all trusts to submit proposals for new free schools. All applications received were assessed against the published selection criteria in the How To Apply Guidance.

Local consultation is also undertaken prior to the opening of any new free school, enabling residents and other interested parties to provide their views on the proposal.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 6 January 2026 to Question 99790 on Free Schools, what steps her Department is taking to assess the (a) need for places and (b) value for money of the Swift Academy; and if she will publish that assessment.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The criteria for the mainstream free schools pipeline review were set out in the Written Ministerial Statement laid on 22 October 2024. The department assessed the local need for school places, value for money and whether projects would provide a distinctive local offer or risk negatively impacting other local schools.

The department has offered feedback to local authorities, trusts and MPs with a related pipeline free school project.

We keep all pipeline projects under review to ensure that they meet a need for places and represent value for public money. This includes the use of annually published pupil place planning data, which informs ministerial decision‑making.

In 2016, the previous government ran a central free school programme application wave, which was open to all trusts to submit proposals for new free schools. All applications received were assessed against the published selection criteria in the How To Apply Guidance.

Local consultation is also undertaken prior to the opening of any new free school, enabling residents and other interested parties to provide their views on the proposal.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 6 January 2026 to Question 99790 on Free Schools, if she will publish the criteria used to determine which free schools should be proceeded with.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The criteria for the mainstream free schools pipeline review were set out in the Written Ministerial Statement laid on 22 October 2024. The department assessed the local need for school places, value for money and whether projects would provide a distinctive local offer or risk negatively impacting other local schools.

The department has offered feedback to local authorities, trusts and MPs with a related pipeline free school project.

We keep all pipeline projects under review to ensure that they meet a need for places and represent value for public money. This includes the use of annually published pupil place planning data, which informs ministerial decision‑making.

In 2016, the previous government ran a central free school programme application wave, which was open to all trusts to submit proposals for new free schools. All applications received were assessed against the published selection criteria in the How To Apply Guidance.

Local consultation is also undertaken prior to the opening of any new free school, enabling residents and other interested parties to provide their views on the proposal.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to encourage businesses to offer work placements for 16 to 18 year-olds within and outside the T Level programme.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

T Levels give young people a strong route into skilled employment, with 96% of completing students completing their industry placement last year.

The Skills for Life campaign raises awareness of T Levels and other training, ensuring businesses understand their value. Our network of over 1,000 T Level ambassadors strengthens understanding and engagement with businesses.

The Careers & Enterprise Company provides resources to help employers engage with schools and colleges. Local careers hubs coordinate employer encounters such as work experience placements, career talks and mentoring.

The department is delivering a targeted small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) campaign to increase awareness of T Level industry placements and encourage more employers to take part. The government is investing £6.3 million through the employer support fund to encourage SMEs and key‑sector employers to host T Level placements supporting with hosting costs.

As part of the construction skills package, the government has committed £100 million to support 40,000 industry placements each year for level 2 and 3 construction learners.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her Department's press release entitled Government modernises exam records with new app published on 8 January 2026, whether her Department has any plans to abolish physical result certificates.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Results certificates are provided by awarding organisations. The department currently has no plans to abolish physical results certificates.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Answer of 12 January 2026 to WPQ 101070, of the over 100,000 people that the Government estimates could benefit from mobility and partnership opportunities from Erasmus+ participation in 2027-8, how many he expects to be UK students.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Erasmus+ is open to learners, trainees and staff in higher education, further education, vocational education and training, schools, adult education, youth programmes and sport programmes. The department will have detailed information on the UK’s Erasmus+ beneficiaries after our first year of participation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed international student levy on the financial sustainability of UK universities; and what estimate her Department has made of the number of universities at risk of closure as a result of the combined effect of frozen tuition fees, inflationary pressures, and the proposed levy on international students.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Higher education (HE) providers are independent from government and as such are responsible for managing their own finances. Tuition fees are not frozen - the department has announced increases to tuition fee limits in line with forecast inflation for 2025/26, 2026/27, and 2027/28. We will also legislate, when parliamentary time allows, to increase tuition fee caps automatically for future academic years.

Over the next five years, tuition fee limit uplifts could generate an additional £6 billion for HE providers, significantly outweighing the currently projected less than £1 billion cost of the International Student Levy. This approach ensures the sector benefits from compounding annual increases, delivering growing resources to support quality education and innovation.

The Office for Students (OfS) is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the financial sustainability of registered HE providers. The department will continue to work closely with the OfS to understand the financial implications of policy changes on HE providers.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what percentage of undergraduate students who are parents with caring responsibilities receive the Childcare Grant.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The number of full-time undergraduates domiciled in England who received the Childcare Grant in 2024/25 was 42,900, rounded to the nearest hundred. This is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-support-for-higher-education-in-england-2025/student-support-for-higher-education-in-england-2025#childcare-grant

It is not possible to report this as a percentage of parents with caring responsibilities as the department does not hold the total number of undergraduates who are parents with caring responsibilities. This is because declaration of caring responsibilities is optional and only required for applicants who wish to apply for Special Support Loans or Childcare Grants.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the level of interest rates on student loans.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Student loans are subject to interest to ensure that those who can afford to do so contribute to the full cost of their degree.

Interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by student loan borrowers. Regular repayments are based on a borrower’s monthly or weekly income, not on interest rates or the amount borrowed. Outstanding debt, including interest built up, is cancelled after the loan term ends (or in case of death or disability) at no detriment to the borrower.

A full equality impact assessment of how the student loan reforms may affect graduates under Plan 5, was produced and published in February 2022 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reform-equality-impact-assessment.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase employer awareness of training programmes available beyond apprenticeships.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government’s Skills for Life campaign promotes the wide range of range of training options available to employers, including apprenticeships, T Levels and Higher Technical Qualifications. This includes digital advertising, public relations, social media, trade press partnerships and collaboration with business organisations.

We offer support, events and guidance to T Level providers to develop and implement effective employer engagement strategies. Our network of over 1000 T Level Ambassadors builds T Level understanding and engagement in the business community.

1,390 businesses of all sizes are using our Employer Standards framework to assess and report on the impact of their employer engagement, helping to open new pathways and opportunities in their sector for young people.

Local Skills Improvement Plans bring together local employers, leaders and training providers to identify and address skills needs, giving employers a strategic voice in shaping skills provision and support to recruit/train skilled workforces.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Crime and Police Bill 2024-26, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of training for reporting child sexual abuse for (a) school teachers and (b) people who volunteer to deliver services for children.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government already sets clear expectations through statutory and non-statutory guidance that those engaging with children should make an immediate referral to the relevant local authority children’s social care or police if they are concerned about a child, including the reporting of child sexual abuse.

Recognising that support is necessary, the Home Office provides funds to the independent Centre for Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse to further strengthen the ability of professionals to understand, identify and respond appropriately to concerns of child sexual abuse through the provision of evidence-based training and practice resources.

Everyone who is responsible for the safety and wellbeing of children should receive appropriate training on such referral processes.

Mandatory reporting introduces a legal duty for those who work with children in a relevant activity to report child sexual abuse to the police or social services. We have committed to delaying commencement of the duty to ensure sectors are prepared for its introduction.

The government will set out clear guidance on the operation of the duty. We will work with regulators and professional standards-setting bodies to ensure the requirements of the new duty are clearly communicated ahead of implementation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of recent graduates entering non-graduate roles on a) career and b) earning progression.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Research suggests the majority of graduates are expected to earn a positive financial return from higher education (HE) over their lifetime.

The latest HE Statistics Agency data shows that 71.4% of UK-domiciled graduates from 2022/23 in employment were in high-skilled roles 15 months after graduation. This is down slightly from 2021/22, but consistent with 2019/20.

Whilst employment rates for graduates remain higher than for non-graduates, we recognise that those leaving HE face challenges and are taking a number of steps to ensure those leaving HE are ready for work.

The Office for Students can take regulatory action against HE providers which don’t meet its minimum requirement that 60% of students should progress into graduate employment or further study.

Planned reforms to the Strategic Priorities Grant will ensure high-cost subject funding is better targeted towards priority provision that supports skills needs and the Industrial Strategy.

Government plans to expand the availability of occupation-focused higher technical qualifications which aim to provide students with the skills employers need.

Government has also issued guidance setting out expectations that HE providers play a pivotal role in Local Skills Improvement Plans, strengthening collaboration with strategic authorities, employers and other skills providers to meet the needs of their local economy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of recent graduates employed in non-graduate roles.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Research suggests the majority of graduates are expected to earn a positive financial return from higher education (HE) over their lifetime.

The latest HE Statistics Agency data shows that 71.4% of UK-domiciled graduates from 2022/23 in employment were in high-skilled roles 15 months after graduation. This is down slightly from 2021/22, but consistent with 2019/20.

Whilst employment rates for graduates remain higher than for non-graduates, we recognise that those leaving HE face challenges and are taking a number of steps to ensure those leaving HE are ready for work.

The Office for Students can take regulatory action against HE providers which don’t meet its minimum requirement that 60% of students should progress into graduate employment or further study.

Planned reforms to the Strategic Priorities Grant will ensure high-cost subject funding is better targeted towards priority provision that supports skills needs and the Industrial Strategy.

Government plans to expand the availability of occupation-focused higher technical qualifications which aim to provide students with the skills employers need.

Government has also issued guidance setting out expectations that HE providers play a pivotal role in Local Skills Improvement Plans, strengthening collaboration with strategic authorities, employers and other skills providers to meet the needs of their local economy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to introduce interventions to help reduce graduate underemployment.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Research suggests the majority of graduates are expected to earn a positive financial return from higher education (HE) over their lifetime.

The latest HE Statistics Agency data shows that 71.4% of UK-domiciled graduates from 2022/23 in employment were in high-skilled roles 15 months after graduation. This is down slightly from 2021/22, but consistent with 2019/20.

Whilst employment rates for graduates remain higher than for non-graduates, we recognise that those leaving HE face challenges and are taking a number of steps to ensure those leaving HE are ready for work.

The Office for Students can take regulatory action against HE providers which don’t meet its minimum requirement that 60% of students should progress into graduate employment or further study.

Planned reforms to the Strategic Priorities Grant will ensure high-cost subject funding is better targeted towards priority provision that supports skills needs and the Industrial Strategy.

Government plans to expand the availability of occupation-focused higher technical qualifications which aim to provide students with the skills employers need.

Government has also issued guidance setting out expectations that HE providers play a pivotal role in Local Skills Improvement Plans, strengthening collaboration with strategic authorities, employers and other skills providers to meet the needs of their local economy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will hold discussions with exam boards on introducing a GCSE in Romanian.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Decisions about which languages to offer at GCSE in England are taken by four independent awarding organisations – AQA, OCR, Pearson Edexcel and WJEC – rather than by central government. These organisations have the freedom to create a Somali and/or Romanian GCSE based on the subject content for modern foreign languages set by the department. This decision would be informed by several factors, including the level of demand from schools and the proportion of the population in the UK speaking the language.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will hold discussions with exam boards on introducing a GCSE in Somali.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Decisions about which languages to offer at GCSE in England are taken by four independent awarding organisations – AQA, OCR, Pearson Edexcel and WJEC – rather than by central government. These organisations have the freedom to create a Somali and/or Romanian GCSE based on the subject content for modern foreign languages set by the department. This decision would be informed by several factors, including the level of demand from schools and the proportion of the population in the UK speaking the language.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the health and wellbeing of teachers.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Supporting the wellbeing of our expert education workforce is critical to this government’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity for children and young people.

The department tracks teacher wellbeing through the longitudinal study, the Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders. Wave 4 shows improved wellbeing across all Office for National Statistics (ONS) validated personal wellbeing measures in 2025. Average life satisfaction, happiness, and feelings of life being worthwhile all increased, while average anxiety decreased.

We also compare teacher and leader wellbeing with the wider population in England. In 2025, these measures remain lower for teachers and leaders.

We commission research to assess teacher wellbeing. For example, the inclusion of ONS-validated personal wellbeing questions in the School and College Voice Survey (SCVS) to capture seasonal differences. The latest data from June 2025 shows that all four wellbeing measures remain broadly in line with the same period last year.

More broadly, our ‘Improve workload and wellbeing for school staff’ service, developed alongside school leaders, contains resources for schools to reduce workload and improve wellbeing. The service can be accessed here: https://improve-workload-and-wellbeing-for-school-staff.education.gov.uk/. The ’Education staff wellbeing charter’ sets out commitments from the department, Ofsted, schools and colleges to protect and promote staff wellbeing. Almost 4,300 schools and colleges have signed up. The charter can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support local authorities to reduce SEND assessment backlogs.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department publishes annual SEN2 data on education, health and care (EHC) plan assessments, including timeliness of assessment. These data underpin our monitoring of local authority performance, support targeted intervention, and strengthen transparency across the system. SEN2 returns inform regular engagement and monitoring meetings with local areas and help us identify where additional support or challenge may be required.

Through our special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) improvement and intervention programmes, we focus on areas showing signs of decline to help strengthen services. When inspections, other local intelligence or monitoring highlight concerns, including failures to meet statutory duties on EHC plan timeliness, we provide a range of universal, targeted and intensive support. This includes peer‑to‑peer support from sector-led improvement partners.

Local authorities struggling to meet the 20‑week timeframe receive enhanced monitoring, and specialist SEND Advisers are deployed where further diagnostic support is needed.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve outcomes for children with special educational needs.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department has recently announced £200 million of investment over the course of this Parliament to upskill staff in every school, college and nursery, ensuring a skilled workforce for generations to come. This builds on our £3 billion investment to create more specialist places and ensure more children and young people can thrive at a setting close to home.

This government is determined to deliver reform that stands the test of time and rebuilds the confidence of families, which is why we have undertaken a national conversation to gather information and views from parents, teachers and experts in every region of the country so that lived experience and partnership are at the heart of our solutions.

We will set out our plans for reform in the upcoming Schools White Paper, building on the work we’ve already done to create a system that’s rooted in inclusion, where children receive high-quality support early on and can thrive at their local school.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of levels in the availability of specialist school places in constituencies such as Aldridge-Brownhills.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

It is the responsibility of local authorities to ensure there are sufficient school places for pupils in their area, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. If a local authority identifies a shortage of places, resulting in a significant number of pupils needing to travel a long way to access a placement, they should consider creating, adapting, or expanding provision to meet that need.

The department has announced at least £3 billion for high needs capital between 2026/27 and 2029/30. Local authorities can use this funding to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools, adapt mainstream schools to be more accessible, and create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.

This builds on the £740 million invested in 2025/26, which is on track to create around 10,000 new specialist places. Of this, Walsall Council received an allocation of just over £5 million. We will confirm local authority allocations for 2026/27 later in the spring.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of home to school transport for pupils with SEND in Gloucester constituency.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department’s home-to-school travel policy aims to make sure no child is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport. Local authorities must arrange free home-to-school travel for eligible children. This includes children of compulsory school age who attend their nearest school and would not be able to walk there because of their special educational needs, disability or mobility problem.

We know that challenges in the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system are creating pressures on home-to-school travel. We have committed to reform the SEND system to enable more children to thrive in local mainstream settings. These reforms will be set out in the upcoming Schools White Paper.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the cumulative burden of A-level examination timetable compression on students with exam access arrangements.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The exam timetable is set nationally by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), which takes into account a range of complex factors, including the potential needs of different students, to ensure the timetable is fair and manageable for all students. JCQ consults on the provisional timetable a year in advance, giving schools and colleges the opportunity to share any concerns before the timetable is finalised.

Although the national timetable applies uniformly to every student, access arrangements such as extra time or supervised rest breaks, can help ensure that students with disabilities, temporary illness or injuries are not unfairly disadvantaged when taking their exams and assessments. These arrangements are determined on a case-by-case basis according to individual needs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what measures will be introduced to monitor whether Special Educational Needs and Disabilities reform improves educational outcomes for children and young people.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Every child deserves an education that meets their needs, one that is academically stretching, where every child feels like they belong, and that sets them up for life and work.

We will set out the full Schools White Paper soon, building on the work we have already done to create a system that is rooted in inclusion, where children receive high quality support early on and can thrive at their local school.

The department regularly publishes statistics on pupils with special educational needs, including information on educational attainment, destinations, absence and exclusions.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps is her Department taking to ensure that all pupils leave school with life-saving road safety skills.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I refer the right hon. Member for Aldridge-Brownhills to the answer of 14 October 2025 to Question 77400.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure all children can access cycle training at school.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

This government is committed to increasing activity levels for all children. Schools have the flexibility to decide on the activities they provide to deliver a rounded and enriching education to suit their pupils’ needs.

The government currently funds a cycling training programme called Bikeability, with the aims to equip more children and families with the skills, confidence, and knowledge needed to cycle safely on roads, while encouraging active travel in everyday life. This investment is part of a broader effort to support local authorities in developing and constructing walking, wheeling, and cycling facilities across England.

The department welcomes the opportunity for continued collaboration with Bikeability to create sustainable improvements in physical activity for young people. For example, through active travel and promoting the overall wellbeing benefits of physical activity, including through cycling.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the benefits to educational outcomes of regular physical activity.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Physical education (PE) and sport are vital elements of a rounded and enriching education that every child deserves. As outlined in the government's response to the curriculum and assessment review recommendations, the department will be strengthening the national curriculum for PE, recognising its role in supporting pupils’ wellbeing and educational outcomes.

We have also made a commitment to set out a core enrichment offer that every school and college, in every community, should aim to provide for all children beyond the statutory curriculum. Our ambition is that all schools should provide an offer to all pupils that meets the new benchmarks. This includes access to sport and physical activities, civic engagement, arts and culture, nature, outdoor and adventure, and developing wider life skills.

As announced last June by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, the department is working with the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to develop a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network which aims to support schools to ensure all children and young people have equal access to high quality PE and extracurricular sport.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will review the three-year freeze on the salary threshold for student loan repayments announced in the 2025 Budget.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The income threshold above which repayments are required for Plan 2 loans will remain at its 2026/27 financial year level of £29,385 up to April 2030, and will increase annually with the Retail Price Index thereafter. This change will help to ensure the system remains sustainable in the long term and is able to continue benefitting future generations of students.

Borrowers remain protected as repayments are determined by income, not the amount borrowed. If a borrower’s salary remains the same, their monthly repayments will also stay the same. Lower-earning graduates will continue to be protected, with any outstanding loan and interest written off at the end of the loan term.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many investigations are currently open into incorrect residency claims for student finance.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

We are resolute in our commitment to protecting public money in higher education and are taking firm action to address serious concerns about exploitation of the student funding system.

Eligibility for student finance is not based solely on nationality, but on a person’s immigration status and residency. To be eligible, a student must be ordinarily resident in England and be settled or have a recognised connection with the UK. Students must also have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and/or the British Overseas Territories) for the three years prior to the first day of the first academic year of their course.

There are exceptions to these requirements for some individuals. For example, there is an exception to the requirement to be settled for those who are covered by the EU Withdrawal Agreement.

To qualify for support, applicants must provide the Student Loans Company (SLC) with evidence of their eligibility. This includes evidence of their identity, immigration status and ordinary residence.

SLC have robust procedures in place to check student finance eligibility, including data-sharing with Home Office and HM Passport Office. When required, the SLC will contact the Home Office to confirm an applicant’s immigration status and ordinary residence.

Nationality is an optional field when creating a student finance account, however, it is mandatory for the full application for support to be processed. Nationality will always be checked as part of verifying a person’s identity and where appropriate as part of verifying their immigration status. Applications that are incomplete for any of SLC’s identity, immigration status or residence history checks are not approved for student finance.

A student does not qualify for student finance if they have shown themselves by their conduct to be ‘unfitted’ to receive support, such as providing falsified documents. Depending on the nature of being found unfitted, the student’s details may be added to the Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System (CIFAS) database. SLC does record details of students who have been made ineligible for student finance. However, the data is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The department does not hold the data in a format that can provide information on investigations that are currently open into incorrect residency claims for student finance.

SLC has advised the department that it has strengthened its integration with Home Office systems for the purposes of establishing eligibility for student finance.

Table 1: Number of cases of misrepresentation in student finance applications have been identified in each of the last five years.

Table 1 shows data for undergraduate applications which have been found to warrant sanctions for false evidence on application. Applications with residency fraud have failed checks for UK nationals, Irish citizens or ‘settled status’ in the UK to verify information on the following eligibility criteria: their home is in England, they’ve been continuously living in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man for three years before the first day of the first academic year (apart from temporary absences such as holidays). Applications with migrant worker fraud have failed checks or submitted false evidence to claim migrant worker status and access student finance. From 2022 onwards the number of cases linked to migrant worker students increased, initially due to a law enforcement referral and then due to collective and increased focus on fraud.

Table 2: Value and volume of income-contingent repayment loans due for repayment from Student Finance England (SFE) borrowers who were domiciled in England at the time of the loan whose income is not verified, as a proportion of the total loan book as at 10/12/2025.

Table 2 shows the value and volume of all SFE income-contingent repayment loans for students who were domiciled in England at the time of the loan whose income was not verified, as a proportion of the total loan book. The main reasons for income which is not verified is that they have been matched by HMRC but have no employment details recorded or they have moved overseas and are no longer part of the UK tax system. SLC proactively attempt to trace and contact all borrowers whose income is not verified to correctly classify the situation and take the required action.

The department does not hold the data to provide accurate loan write-off rates (the proportion of loans which have been written off) in the form requested. Due to the way in which the data is held, analysts in the department would not be able to provide this information you have requested without exceeding the disproportionate cost threshold.

Table 3 shows the number of full-time undergraduate students who were domiciled in England who received their first loan payment whilst they were under the age of 18 in each of the last ten years.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the value of student loans for which accurate income data is not currently held; and what proportion of the loan book this represents.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

We are resolute in our commitment to protecting public money in higher education and are taking firm action to address serious concerns about exploitation of the student funding system.

Eligibility for student finance is not based solely on nationality, but on a person’s immigration status and residency. To be eligible, a student must be ordinarily resident in England and be settled or have a recognised connection with the UK. Students must also have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and/or the British Overseas Territories) for the three years prior to the first day of the first academic year of their course.

There are exceptions to these requirements for some individuals. For example, there is an exception to the requirement to be settled for those who are covered by the EU Withdrawal Agreement.

To qualify for support, applicants must provide the Student Loans Company (SLC) with evidence of their eligibility. This includes evidence of their identity, immigration status and ordinary residence.

SLC have robust procedures in place to check student finance eligibility, including data-sharing with Home Office and HM Passport Office. When required, the SLC will contact the Home Office to confirm an applicant’s immigration status and ordinary residence.

Nationality is an optional field when creating a student finance account, however, it is mandatory for the full application for support to be processed. Nationality will always be checked as part of verifying a person’s identity and where appropriate as part of verifying their immigration status. Applications that are incomplete for any of SLC’s identity, immigration status or residence history checks are not approved for student finance.

A student does not qualify for student finance if they have shown themselves by their conduct to be ‘unfitted’ to receive support, such as providing falsified documents. Depending on the nature of being found unfitted, the student’s details may be added to the Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System (CIFAS) database. SLC does record details of students who have been made ineligible for student finance. However, the data is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The department does not hold the data in a format that can provide information on investigations that are currently open into incorrect residency claims for student finance.

SLC has advised the department that it has strengthened its integration with Home Office systems for the purposes of establishing eligibility for student finance.

Table 1: Number of cases of misrepresentation in student finance applications have been identified in each of the last five years.

Table 1 shows data for undergraduate applications which have been found to warrant sanctions for false evidence on application. Applications with residency fraud have failed checks for UK nationals, Irish citizens or ‘settled status’ in the UK to verify information on the following eligibility criteria: their home is in England, they’ve been continuously living in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man for three years before the first day of the first academic year (apart from temporary absences such as holidays). Applications with migrant worker fraud have failed checks or submitted false evidence to claim migrant worker status and access student finance. From 2022 onwards the number of cases linked to migrant worker students increased, initially due to a law enforcement referral and then due to collective and increased focus on fraud.

Table 2: Value and volume of income-contingent repayment loans due for repayment from Student Finance England (SFE) borrowers who were domiciled in England at the time of the loan whose income is not verified, as a proportion of the total loan book as at 10/12/2025.

Table 2 shows the value and volume of all SFE income-contingent repayment loans for students who were domiciled in England at the time of the loan whose income was not verified, as a proportion of the total loan book. The main reasons for income which is not verified is that they have been matched by HMRC but have no employment details recorded or they have moved overseas and are no longer part of the UK tax system. SLC proactively attempt to trace and contact all borrowers whose income is not verified to correctly classify the situation and take the required action.

The department does not hold the data to provide accurate loan write-off rates (the proportion of loans which have been written off) in the form requested. Due to the way in which the data is held, analysts in the department would not be able to provide this information you have requested without exceeding the disproportionate cost threshold.

Table 3 shows the number of full-time undergraduate students who were domiciled in England who received their first loan payment whilst they were under the age of 18 in each of the last ten years.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students agreed to receive a student loan whilst they were under the age of 18 in each of the last 10 years.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

We are resolute in our commitment to protecting public money in higher education and are taking firm action to address serious concerns about exploitation of the student funding system.

Eligibility for student finance is not based solely on nationality, but on a person’s immigration status and residency. To be eligible, a student must be ordinarily resident in England and be settled or have a recognised connection with the UK. Students must also have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and/or the British Overseas Territories) for the three years prior to the first day of the first academic year of their course.

There are exceptions to these requirements for some individuals. For example, there is an exception to the requirement to be settled for those who are covered by the EU Withdrawal Agreement.

To qualify for support, applicants must provide the Student Loans Company (SLC) with evidence of their eligibility. This includes evidence of their identity, immigration status and ordinary residence.

SLC have robust procedures in place to check student finance eligibility, including data-sharing with Home Office and HM Passport Office. When required, the SLC will contact the Home Office to confirm an applicant’s immigration status and ordinary residence.

Nationality is an optional field when creating a student finance account, however, it is mandatory for the full application for support to be processed. Nationality will always be checked as part of verifying a person’s identity and where appropriate as part of verifying their immigration status. Applications that are incomplete for any of SLC’s identity, immigration status or residence history checks are not approved for student finance.

A student does not qualify for student finance if they have shown themselves by their conduct to be ‘unfitted’ to receive support, such as providing falsified documents. Depending on the nature of being found unfitted, the student’s details may be added to the Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System (CIFAS) database. SLC does record details of students who have been made ineligible for student finance. However, the data is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The department does not hold the data in a format that can provide information on investigations that are currently open into incorrect residency claims for student finance.

SLC has advised the department that it has strengthened its integration with Home Office systems for the purposes of establishing eligibility for student finance.

Table 1: Number of cases of misrepresentation in student finance applications have been identified in each of the last five years.

Table 1 shows data for undergraduate applications which have been found to warrant sanctions for false evidence on application. Applications with residency fraud have failed checks for UK nationals, Irish citizens or ‘settled status’ in the UK to verify information on the following eligibility criteria: their home is in England, they’ve been continuously living in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man for three years before the first day of the first academic year (apart from temporary absences such as holidays). Applications with migrant worker fraud have failed checks or submitted false evidence to claim migrant worker status and access student finance. From 2022 onwards the number of cases linked to migrant worker students increased, initially due to a law enforcement referral and then due to collective and increased focus on fraud.

Table 2: Value and volume of income-contingent repayment loans due for repayment from Student Finance England (SFE) borrowers who were domiciled in England at the time of the loan whose income is not verified, as a proportion of the total loan book as at 10/12/2025.

Table 2 shows the value and volume of all SFE income-contingent repayment loans for students who were domiciled in England at the time of the loan whose income was not verified, as a proportion of the total loan book. The main reasons for income which is not verified is that they have been matched by HMRC but have no employment details recorded or they have moved overseas and are no longer part of the UK tax system. SLC proactively attempt to trace and contact all borrowers whose income is not verified to correctly classify the situation and take the required action.

The department does not hold the data to provide accurate loan write-off rates (the proportion of loans which have been written off) in the form requested. Due to the way in which the data is held, analysts in the department would not be able to provide this information you have requested without exceeding the disproportionate cost threshold.

Table 3 shows the number of full-time undergraduate students who were domiciled in England who received their first loan payment whilst they were under the age of 18 in each of the last ten years.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what checks are undertaken to verify eligibility for student finance among applicants who have recently entered the UK.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

We are resolute in our commitment to protecting public money in higher education and are taking firm action to address serious concerns about exploitation of the student funding system.

Eligibility for student finance is not based solely on nationality, but on a person’s immigration status and residency. To be eligible, a student must be ordinarily resident in England and be settled or have a recognised connection with the UK. Students must also have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and/or the British Overseas Territories) for the three years prior to the first day of the first academic year of their course.

There are exceptions to these requirements for some individuals. For example, there is an exception to the requirement to be settled for those who are covered by the EU Withdrawal Agreement.

To qualify for support, applicants must provide the Student Loans Company (SLC) with evidence of their eligibility. This includes evidence of their identity, immigration status and ordinary residence.

SLC have robust procedures in place to check student finance eligibility, including data-sharing with Home Office and HM Passport Office. When required, the SLC will contact the Home Office to confirm an applicant’s immigration status and ordinary residence.

Nationality is an optional field when creating a student finance account, however, it is mandatory for the full application for support to be processed. Nationality will always be checked as part of verifying a person’s identity and where appropriate as part of verifying their immigration status. Applications that are incomplete for any of SLC’s identity, immigration status or residence history checks are not approved for student finance.

A student does not qualify for student finance if they have shown themselves by their conduct to be ‘unfitted’ to receive support, such as providing falsified documents. Depending on the nature of being found unfitted, the student’s details may be added to the Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System (CIFAS) database. SLC does record details of students who have been made ineligible for student finance. However, the data is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The department does not hold the data in a format that can provide information on investigations that are currently open into incorrect residency claims for student finance.

SLC has advised the department that it has strengthened its integration with Home Office systems for the purposes of establishing eligibility for student finance.

Table 1: Number of cases of misrepresentation in student finance applications have been identified in each of the last five years.

Table 1 shows data for undergraduate applications which have been found to warrant sanctions for false evidence on application. Applications with residency fraud have failed checks for UK nationals, Irish citizens or ‘settled status’ in the UK to verify information on the following eligibility criteria: their home is in England, they’ve been continuously living in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man for three years before the first day of the first academic year (apart from temporary absences such as holidays). Applications with migrant worker fraud have failed checks or submitted false evidence to claim migrant worker status and access student finance. From 2022 onwards the number of cases linked to migrant worker students increased, initially due to a law enforcement referral and then due to collective and increased focus on fraud.

Table 2: Value and volume of income-contingent repayment loans due for repayment from Student Finance England (SFE) borrowers who were domiciled in England at the time of the loan whose income is not verified, as a proportion of the total loan book as at 10/12/2025.

Table 2 shows the value and volume of all SFE income-contingent repayment loans for students who were domiciled in England at the time of the loan whose income was not verified, as a proportion of the total loan book. The main reasons for income which is not verified is that they have been matched by HMRC but have no employment details recorded or they have moved overseas and are no longer part of the UK tax system. SLC proactively attempt to trace and contact all borrowers whose income is not verified to correctly classify the situation and take the required action.

The department does not hold the data to provide accurate loan write-off rates (the proportion of loans which have been written off) in the form requested. Due to the way in which the data is held, analysts in the department would not be able to provide this information you have requested without exceeding the disproportionate cost threshold.

Table 3 shows the number of full-time undergraduate students who were domiciled in England who received their first loan payment whilst they were under the age of 18 in each of the last ten years.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the compliance rates with the three-year UK residency requirement among student finance applicants.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

We are resolute in our commitment to protecting public money in higher education and are taking firm action to address serious concerns about exploitation of the student funding system.

Eligibility for student finance is not based solely on nationality, but on a person’s immigration status and residency. To be eligible, a student must be ordinarily resident in England and be settled or have a recognised connection with the UK. Students must also have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and/or the British Overseas Territories) for the three years prior to the first day of the first academic year of their course.

There are exceptions to these requirements for some individuals. For example, there is an exception to the requirement to be settled for those who are covered by the EU Withdrawal Agreement.

To qualify for support, applicants must provide the Student Loans Company (SLC) with evidence of their eligibility. This includes evidence of their identity, immigration status and ordinary residence.

SLC have robust procedures in place to check student finance eligibility, including data-sharing with Home Office and HM Passport Office. When required, the SLC will contact the Home Office to confirm an applicant’s immigration status and ordinary residence.

Nationality is an optional field when creating a student finance account, however, it is mandatory for the full application for support to be processed. Nationality will always be checked as part of verifying a person’s identity and where appropriate as part of verifying their immigration status. Applications that are incomplete for any of SLC’s identity, immigration status or residence history checks are not approved for student finance.

A student does not qualify for student finance if they have shown themselves by their conduct to be ‘unfitted’ to receive support, such as providing falsified documents. Depending on the nature of being found unfitted, the student’s details may be added to the Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System (CIFAS) database. SLC does record details of students who have been made ineligible for student finance. However, the data is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The department does not hold the data in a format that can provide information on investigations that are currently open into incorrect residency claims for student finance.

SLC has advised the department that it has strengthened its integration with Home Office systems for the purposes of establishing eligibility for student finance.

Table 1: Number of cases of misrepresentation in student finance applications have been identified in each of the last five years.

Table 1 shows data for undergraduate applications which have been found to warrant sanctions for false evidence on application. Applications with residency fraud have failed checks for UK nationals, Irish citizens or ‘settled status’ in the UK to verify information on the following eligibility criteria: their home is in England, they’ve been continuously living in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man for three years before the first day of the first academic year (apart from temporary absences such as holidays). Applications with migrant worker fraud have failed checks or submitted false evidence to claim migrant worker status and access student finance. From 2022 onwards the number of cases linked to migrant worker students increased, initially due to a law enforcement referral and then due to collective and increased focus on fraud.

Table 2: Value and volume of income-contingent repayment loans due for repayment from Student Finance England (SFE) borrowers who were domiciled in England at the time of the loan whose income is not verified, as a proportion of the total loan book as at 10/12/2025.

Table 2 shows the value and volume of all SFE income-contingent repayment loans for students who were domiciled in England at the time of the loan whose income was not verified, as a proportion of the total loan book. The main reasons for income which is not verified is that they have been matched by HMRC but have no employment details recorded or they have moved overseas and are no longer part of the UK tax system. SLC proactively attempt to trace and contact all borrowers whose income is not verified to correctly classify the situation and take the required action.

The department does not hold the data to provide accurate loan write-off rates (the proportion of loans which have been written off) in the form requested. Due to the way in which the data is held, analysts in the department would not be able to provide this information you have requested without exceeding the disproportionate cost threshold.

Table 3 shows the number of full-time undergraduate students who were domiciled in England who received their first loan payment whilst they were under the age of 18 in each of the last ten years.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications for student finance have been refused due to insufficient residency evidence in each of the last ten years.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

We are resolute in our commitment to protecting public money in higher education and are taking firm action to address serious concerns about exploitation of the student funding system.

Eligibility for student finance is not based solely on nationality, but on a person’s immigration status and residency. To be eligible, a student must be ordinarily resident in England and be settled or have a recognised connection with the UK. Students must also have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and/or the British Overseas Territories) for the three years prior to the first day of the first academic year of their course.

There are exceptions to these requirements for some individuals. For example, there is an exception to the requirement to be settled for those who are covered by the EU Withdrawal Agreement.

To qualify for support, applicants must provide the Student Loans Company (SLC) with evidence of their eligibility. This includes evidence of their identity, immigration status and ordinary residence.

SLC have robust procedures in place to check student finance eligibility, including data-sharing with Home Office and HM Passport Office. When required, the SLC will contact the Home Office to confirm an applicant’s immigration status and ordinary residence.

Nationality is an optional field when creating a student finance account, however, it is mandatory for the full application for support to be processed. Nationality will always be checked as part of verifying a person’s identity and where appropriate as part of verifying their immigration status. Applications that are incomplete for any of SLC’s identity, immigration status or residence history checks are not approved for student finance.

A student does not qualify for student finance if they have shown themselves by their conduct to be ‘unfitted’ to receive support, such as providing falsified documents. Depending on the nature of being found unfitted, the student’s details may be added to the Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System (CIFAS) database. SLC does record details of students who have been made ineligible for student finance. However, the data is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The department does not hold the data in a format that can provide information on investigations that are currently open into incorrect residency claims for student finance.

SLC has advised the department that it has strengthened its integration with Home Office systems for the purposes of establishing eligibility for student finance.

Table 1: Number of cases of misrepresentation in student finance applications have been identified in each of the last five years.

Table 1 shows data for undergraduate applications which have been found to warrant sanctions for false evidence on application. Applications with residency fraud have failed checks for UK nationals, Irish citizens or ‘settled status’ in the UK to verify information on the following eligibility criteria: their home is in England, they’ve been continuously living in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man for three years before the first day of the first academic year (apart from temporary absences such as holidays). Applications with migrant worker fraud have failed checks or submitted false evidence to claim migrant worker status and access student finance. From 2022 onwards the number of cases linked to migrant worker students increased, initially due to a law enforcement referral and then due to collective and increased focus on fraud.

Table 2: Value and volume of income-contingent repayment loans due for repayment from Student Finance England (SFE) borrowers who were domiciled in England at the time of the loan whose income is not verified, as a proportion of the total loan book as at 10/12/2025.

Table 2 shows the value and volume of all SFE income-contingent repayment loans for students who were domiciled in England at the time of the loan whose income was not verified, as a proportion of the total loan book. The main reasons for income which is not verified is that they have been matched by HMRC but have no employment details recorded or they have moved overseas and are no longer part of the UK tax system. SLC proactively attempt to trace and contact all borrowers whose income is not verified to correctly classify the situation and take the required action.

The department does not hold the data to provide accurate loan write-off rates (the proportion of loans which have been written off) in the form requested. Due to the way in which the data is held, analysts in the department would not be able to provide this information you have requested without exceeding the disproportionate cost threshold.

Table 3 shows the number of full-time undergraduate students who were domiciled in England who received their first loan payment whilst they were under the age of 18 in each of the last ten years.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department collects data on loan write-off rates broken down by borrower residency status at the time of issuing the loan.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

We are resolute in our commitment to protecting public money in higher education and are taking firm action to address serious concerns about exploitation of the student funding system.

Eligibility for student finance is not based solely on nationality, but on a person’s immigration status and residency. To be eligible, a student must be ordinarily resident in England and be settled or have a recognised connection with the UK. Students must also have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and/or the British Overseas Territories) for the three years prior to the first day of the first academic year of their course.

There are exceptions to these requirements for some individuals. For example, there is an exception to the requirement to be settled for those who are covered by the EU Withdrawal Agreement.

To qualify for support, applicants must provide the Student Loans Company (SLC) with evidence of their eligibility. This includes evidence of their identity, immigration status and ordinary residence.

SLC have robust procedures in place to check student finance eligibility, including data-sharing with Home Office and HM Passport Office. When required, the SLC will contact the Home Office to confirm an applicant’s immigration status and ordinary residence.

Nationality is an optional field when creating a student finance account, however, it is mandatory for the full application for support to be processed. Nationality will always be checked as part of verifying a person’s identity and where appropriate as part of verifying their immigration status. Applications that are incomplete for any of SLC’s identity, immigration status or residence history checks are not approved for student finance.

A student does not qualify for student finance if they have shown themselves by their conduct to be ‘unfitted’ to receive support, such as providing falsified documents. Depending on the nature of being found unfitted, the student’s details may be added to the Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System (CIFAS) database. SLC does record details of students who have been made ineligible for student finance. However, the data is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The department does not hold the data in a format that can provide information on investigations that are currently open into incorrect residency claims for student finance.

SLC has advised the department that it has strengthened its integration with Home Office systems for the purposes of establishing eligibility for student finance.

Table 1: Number of cases of misrepresentation in student finance applications have been identified in each of the last five years.

Table 1 shows data for undergraduate applications which have been found to warrant sanctions for false evidence on application. Applications with residency fraud have failed checks for UK nationals, Irish citizens or ‘settled status’ in the UK to verify information on the following eligibility criteria: their home is in England, they’ve been continuously living in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man for three years before the first day of the first academic year (apart from temporary absences such as holidays). Applications with migrant worker fraud have failed checks or submitted false evidence to claim migrant worker status and access student finance. From 2022 onwards the number of cases linked to migrant worker students increased, initially due to a law enforcement referral and then due to collective and increased focus on fraud.

Table 2: Value and volume of income-contingent repayment loans due for repayment from Student Finance England (SFE) borrowers who were domiciled in England at the time of the loan whose income is not verified, as a proportion of the total loan book as at 10/12/2025.

Table 2 shows the value and volume of all SFE income-contingent repayment loans for students who were domiciled in England at the time of the loan whose income was not verified, as a proportion of the total loan book. The main reasons for income which is not verified is that they have been matched by HMRC but have no employment details recorded or they have moved overseas and are no longer part of the UK tax system. SLC proactively attempt to trace and contact all borrowers whose income is not verified to correctly classify the situation and take the required action.

The department does not hold the data to provide accurate loan write-off rates (the proportion of loans which have been written off) in the form requested. Due to the way in which the data is held, analysts in the department would not be able to provide this information you have requested without exceeding the disproportionate cost threshold.

Table 3 shows the number of full-time undergraduate students who were domiciled in England who received their first loan payment whilst they were under the age of 18 in each of the last ten years.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many cases of suspected misrepresentation in student finance applications have been identified in each of the last five years; and what proportion of these involved applicants providing insufficient or unverifiable residency documentation.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

We are resolute in our commitment to protecting public money in higher education and are taking firm action to address serious concerns about exploitation of the student funding system.

Eligibility for student finance is not based solely on nationality, but on a person’s immigration status and residency. To be eligible, a student must be ordinarily resident in England and be settled or have a recognised connection with the UK. Students must also have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and/or the British Overseas Territories) for the three years prior to the first day of the first academic year of their course.

There are exceptions to these requirements for some individuals. For example, there is an exception to the requirement to be settled for those who are covered by the EU Withdrawal Agreement.

To qualify for support, applicants must provide the Student Loans Company (SLC) with evidence of their eligibility. This includes evidence of their identity, immigration status and ordinary residence.

SLC have robust procedures in place to check student finance eligibility, including data-sharing with Home Office and HM Passport Office. When required, the SLC will contact the Home Office to confirm an applicant’s immigration status and ordinary residence.

Nationality is an optional field when creating a student finance account, however, it is mandatory for the full application for support to be processed. Nationality will always be checked as part of verifying a person’s identity and where appropriate as part of verifying their immigration status. Applications that are incomplete for any of SLC’s identity, immigration status or residence history checks are not approved for student finance.

A student does not qualify for student finance if they have shown themselves by their conduct to be ‘unfitted’ to receive support, such as providing falsified documents. Depending on the nature of being found unfitted, the student’s details may be added to the Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System (CIFAS) database. SLC does record details of students who have been made ineligible for student finance. However, the data is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The department does not hold the data in a format that can provide information on investigations that are currently open into incorrect residency claims for student finance.

SLC has advised the department that it has strengthened its integration with Home Office systems for the purposes of establishing eligibility for student finance.

Table 1: Number of cases of misrepresentation in student finance applications have been identified in each of the last five years.

Table 1 shows data for undergraduate applications which have been found to warrant sanctions for false evidence on application. Applications with residency fraud have failed checks for UK nationals, Irish citizens or ‘settled status’ in the UK to verify information on the following eligibility criteria: their home is in England, they’ve been continuously living in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man for three years before the first day of the first academic year (apart from temporary absences such as holidays). Applications with migrant worker fraud have failed checks or submitted false evidence to claim migrant worker status and access student finance. From 2022 onwards the number of cases linked to migrant worker students increased, initially due to a law enforcement referral and then due to collective and increased focus on fraud.

Table 2: Value and volume of income-contingent repayment loans due for repayment from Student Finance England (SFE) borrowers who were domiciled in England at the time of the loan whose income is not verified, as a proportion of the total loan book as at 10/12/2025.

Table 2 shows the value and volume of all SFE income-contingent repayment loans for students who were domiciled in England at the time of the loan whose income was not verified, as a proportion of the total loan book. The main reasons for income which is not verified is that they have been matched by HMRC but have no employment details recorded or they have moved overseas and are no longer part of the UK tax system. SLC proactively attempt to trace and contact all borrowers whose income is not verified to correctly classify the situation and take the required action.

The department does not hold the data to provide accurate loan write-off rates (the proportion of loans which have been written off) in the form requested. Due to the way in which the data is held, analysts in the department would not be able to provide this information you have requested without exceeding the disproportionate cost threshold.

Table 3 shows the number of full-time undergraduate students who were domiciled in England who received their first loan payment whilst they were under the age of 18 in each of the last ten years.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many student-loan recipients are recorded with incomplete or inaccurate residency or nationality data.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

We are resolute in our commitment to protecting public money in higher education and are taking firm action to address serious concerns about exploitation of the student funding system.

Eligibility for student finance is not based solely on nationality, but on a person’s immigration status and residency. To be eligible, a student must be ordinarily resident in England and be settled or have a recognised connection with the UK. Students must also have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and/or the British Overseas Territories) for the three years prior to the first day of the first academic year of their course.

There are exceptions to these requirements for some individuals. For example, there is an exception to the requirement to be settled for those who are covered by the EU Withdrawal Agreement.

To qualify for support, applicants must provide the Student Loans Company (SLC) with evidence of their eligibility. This includes evidence of their identity, immigration status and ordinary residence.

SLC have robust procedures in place to check student finance eligibility, including data-sharing with Home Office and HM Passport Office. When required, the SLC will contact the Home Office to confirm an applicant’s immigration status and ordinary residence.

Nationality is an optional field when creating a student finance account, however, it is mandatory for the full application for support to be processed. Nationality will always be checked as part of verifying a person’s identity and where appropriate as part of verifying their immigration status. Applications that are incomplete for any of SLC’s identity, immigration status or residence history checks are not approved for student finance.

A student does not qualify for student finance if they have shown themselves by their conduct to be ‘unfitted’ to receive support, such as providing falsified documents. Depending on the nature of being found unfitted, the student’s details may be added to the Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System (CIFAS) database. SLC does record details of students who have been made ineligible for student finance. However, the data is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The department does not hold the data in a format that can provide information on investigations that are currently open into incorrect residency claims for student finance.

SLC has advised the department that it has strengthened its integration with Home Office systems for the purposes of establishing eligibility for student finance.

Table 1: Number of cases of misrepresentation in student finance applications have been identified in each of the last five years.

Table 1 shows data for undergraduate applications which have been found to warrant sanctions for false evidence on application. Applications with residency fraud have failed checks for UK nationals, Irish citizens or ‘settled status’ in the UK to verify information on the following eligibility criteria: their home is in England, they’ve been continuously living in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man for three years before the first day of the first academic year (apart from temporary absences such as holidays). Applications with migrant worker fraud have failed checks or submitted false evidence to claim migrant worker status and access student finance. From 2022 onwards the number of cases linked to migrant worker students increased, initially due to a law enforcement referral and then due to collective and increased focus on fraud.

Table 2: Value and volume of income-contingent repayment loans due for repayment from Student Finance England (SFE) borrowers who were domiciled in England at the time of the loan whose income is not verified, as a proportion of the total loan book as at 10/12/2025.

Table 2 shows the value and volume of all SFE income-contingent repayment loans for students who were domiciled in England at the time of the loan whose income was not verified, as a proportion of the total loan book. The main reasons for income which is not verified is that they have been matched by HMRC but have no employment details recorded or they have moved overseas and are no longer part of the UK tax system. SLC proactively attempt to trace and contact all borrowers whose income is not verified to correctly classify the situation and take the required action.

The department does not hold the data to provide accurate loan write-off rates (the proportion of loans which have been written off) in the form requested. Due to the way in which the data is held, analysts in the department would not be able to provide this information you have requested without exceeding the disproportionate cost threshold.

Table 3 shows the number of full-time undergraduate students who were domiciled in England who received their first loan payment whilst they were under the age of 18 in each of the last ten years.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the absence of a statutory complaints scheme on enforcement of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department is seeking a suitable legislative vehicle to amend and repeal elements of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 at the earliest opportunity, including in relation to the complaints scheme.

The department cannot comment on what might or might not be considered for future legislation, but we will act to protect freedom of speech and academic freedom, and we are considering options.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure transitional arrangements in post-16 qualification options before V-levels are fully implemented.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

We have recently closed a consultation on Post-16 Level 3 and Below Pathways. As part of this, we are considering transition arrangements to reach the new qualifications landscape set out in the Post-16 Skills White Paper, and will set out plans in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria will be used to select education providers eligible for international expansion support.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Through the UK’s International Education Strategy, we are backing UK providers, at all levels, to deliver British education overseas in new and expanding markets, while driving growth at home.

Sector stakeholders will be central to the successful delivery of the new International Education Strategy. The reformed Education Sector Action Group (ESAG), chaired by Ministers, will bring together industry, government, and representative bodies from across the education sector to tackle key concerns and identify opportunities for partnerships. Each representative will lead on an action plan, published within the first 100 days of appointment to ESAG, outlining how their members will support delivery of the strategy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that education exports support institutions in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The new UK’s International Education Strategy sets a clear ambition to grow the value of education exports to £40 billion a year by 2030.

We are backing UK providers, at all levels, to deliver British education overseas in new and expanding markets, while driving growth at home.

By expanding overseas, our universities, colleges and education providers from all regions can diversify income, strengthen global partnerships and give millions more students access to a world-class UK education on their doorstep, all whilst boosting growth at home.

The new strategy urges UK providers to take advantage of the UK’s unique position and meet rising global demand for high-quality education.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of international education programmes on local employment.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The new UK’s International Education Strategy sets a clear ambition to grow the value of education exports to £40 billion a year by 2030.

We are backing UK providers, at all levels, to deliver British education overseas in new and expanding markets, while driving growth at home.

By expanding overseas, our universities, colleges and education providers from all regions can diversify income, strengthen global partnerships and give millions more students access to a world-class UK education on their doorstep, all whilst boosting growth at home.

The new strategy urges UK providers to take advantage of the UK’s unique position and meet rising global demand for high-quality education.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of school allergy-management policies.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units in England to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. The accompanying statutory guidance makes clear to schools what is expected of them in taking reasonable steps to fulfil their legal obligations and to meet the individual needs of pupils with medical conditions, including allergies.

We intend to consult later this year on revised statutory guidance on ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’. This will seek views from schools, parents, health professionals, and other stakeholders on proposals to strengthen how schools meet their duties, including improvements to allergy safety and broader medical condition management. Our aim is to ensure that every child can access education safely and confidently, regardless of their health needs or allergy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with her European Union counterpart on the display of flags by the National Agency that will manage the UK's participation in the Erasmus+ programme.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Under European Commission communication and visibility rules, managing authorities and implementing partners of EU funding are required to use the EU emblem in their communications. This requirement therefore applies to the National Agency responsible for delivering the Erasmus+ programme for the UK.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2026 to Question 101957 on Erasmus+ Programme, what estimate she has made of the potential cost to the public purse of participating in Erasmus+ in (a) 2026-27 and (b) 2027-28.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

We have now concluded negotiations with the European Commission on the UK’s association to Erasmus+ in 2027. This commitment covers the 2027/28 academic year. Any participation in Erasmus+ into the next Multiannual Financial Framework needs to be agreed in future and be based on a fair and balanced contribution.

We have secured significantly improved financial terms compared to default arrangements, ensuring a fairer balance between the UK’s contribution to the EU and the number of UK participants who receive funding. We negotiated a 30% discount, securing participation for 2027 at a cost of approximately £570 million, saving UK taxpayers around £240 million while securing the benefits of participation for young people in the UK and across the EU.

The UK will receive most of that money back to distribute amongst UK beneficiaries. UK participants can compete for grants from an approximate £1 billion central pot directly managed by the European Commission.

Our experience of associating in 2027 will inform any future participation in Erasmus+ under the next Multiannual Financial Framework from 2028/2034.

We will report to Parliament the costs arising from participation, including costs related to the implementation of the programme, in its annual accounts.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her Department’s press release entitled Strategy to boost UK education abroad in major £40bn growth drive, published on 20 January 2026, what assessment her Department has made of the feasibility of achieving the target to grow UK education exports to £40 billion a year by 2030.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The new International Education Strategy has confirmed the government's continued commitment to welcome international students who meet the requirements to study in the UK. They join one of the world’s most vibrant, diverse and inclusive learning communities, form lifelong friendships and professional networks, and earn qualifications respected around the globe. Higher education providers in the UK received an estimated £12.1 billion in tuition fee income from international students in the 2023/24 academic year, which supported the provision of places for domestic students and research and development.

Future international student numbers are inherently uncertain. The international student market is highly competitive, and inflows depend on a range of factors, including recruitment strategies from international competitors, exchange rates and other economic variables. The International Education Strategy will continue to support the sustainable recruitment of high-quality international students to the UK’s world-class higher education institutions from a diverse range of countries.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much has been spent on the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile in each of the last five years; and how many children have gone through that assessment in each of the last five years.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The early years foundation stage profile assessment (EYFSP) is undertaken by teachers at the end of the academic year in which children turn five, usually reception year. No fee is charged per child for the EYFSP. Any costs incurred by schools would primarily relate to staff time in connection with undertaking the assessment and submitting the data to their local authority. The department does not collect data on the time spent to complete the assessment at school level or time spent processing the data by local authorities.

The number of children assessed under the EYFSP in the last five years is available alongside further details on GOV.UK at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/cf4c5896-b574-421b-70de-08de5e4c1b9a.

The 2020/21 EYFSP data collection was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic, so the department does not hold information for that year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what reporting requirements UK providers will have for international education initiatives.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Sector stakeholders will be central to the successful delivery of the new International Education Strategy. The reformed Education Sector Action Group (ESAG), chaired by Ministers, will bring together industry, government, and representative bodies from across the education sector to tackle key concerns and identify opportunities for partnerships. Each representative will lead on an action plan, published within the first 100 days of appointment to ESAG, outlining how their members will support delivery of the strategy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the United Arab Emirates has restricted funding for its students permitted to study in the UK; and what assessment they have made of levels of support for the Muslim Brotherhood and wider Islamist extremism on UK university campuses.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The UK provides a world-leading education system, especially in teaching and research in high-growth sectors. We welcome high-quality students from across the world, including from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

We are committed to challenging extremist narratives, disrupting radicalising groups, and tackling the causes of radicalisation. We have some of the strongest laws in the world to protect citizens from hatred and terrorism. The ‘Prevent duty’ guidance, recently updated to address evolving threats, and the government’s consistent review and proscription of extremist organisations, demonstrates our commitment to student welfare and safety.

The education sector plays a vital role in safeguarding learners from radicalisation and remains the highest contributor of referrals to the Prevent programme. We provide resources through the ‘Educate Against Hate’ website, helping pupils and staff understand terrorism risks and challenge extremist views.

The UK and UAE have a long-standing relationship. We will continue to discuss this matter with their government.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many asylum seekers there are in the education system by (a) day and (b) month of birth.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The information requested is not held centrally.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her Department’s press release entitled Strategy to boost UK education abroad in major £40bn growth drive, published on 20 January 2026, what estimate her Department has made of the expected numbers of international students when targets are removed.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The new International Education Strategy has confirmed the government's continued commitment to welcome international students who meet the requirements to study in the UK. They join one of the world’s most vibrant, diverse and inclusive learning communities, form lifelong friendships and professional networks, and earn qualifications respected around the globe. Higher education providers in the UK received an estimated £12.1 billion in tuition fee income from international students in the 2023/24 academic year, which supported the provision of places for domestic students and research and development.

Future international student numbers are inherently uncertain. The international student market is highly competitive, and inflows depend on a range of factors, including recruitment strategies from international competitors, exchange rates and other economic variables. The International Education Strategy will continue to support the sustainable recruitment of high-quality international students to the UK’s world-class higher education institutions from a diverse range of countries.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of school policies that restrict mobile‑phone use on pupil's health and safety.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The department’s new, stronger guidance on mobile phones in schools is clear that all schools should be mobile phone-free by default. Pupils should not have access to their devices during lessons, break times, lunch times, or between lessons.

The guidance is clear that exceptions to a mobile phones policy may be required for children with specific special educational needs, disabilities or medical conditions. This includes users of health tech or assistive technology.

Where school leaders need to make additional exceptions or flexibilities to their policies based on a child’s individual needs, we trust them to do so.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate has she made of the number of places that will be available for a) young British nationals and b) young EU nationals in each of the next five years under the new Erasmus scheme; and what assessment has she made of the expected regional allocation and breakdown of places.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

We have now concluded negotiations with the European Commission on the UK’s association to Erasmus+ in 2027. This commitment covers the 2027/28 academic year. Any participation in Erasmus+ into the next Multiannual Financial Framework from 2028/34 will need to be agreed in the future and be based on a fair and balanced contribution.

We expect that over 100,000 people could benefit from mobility and partnership opportunities from participation in 2027.

We will have detailed information on the UK’s Erasmus+ beneficiaries after our first year of participation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment the Department has made of the potential impact of the expansion of free school meal eligibility from 2026 on the level of demand for school milk; and what steps are being taken to ensure adequate provision.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

It is a legislative requirement that milk is provided free of charge to children who meet the free school meal criteria.

We are extending free school meals to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026. This new entitlement will mean over 500,000 of the most disadvantaged children will begin to access free meals putting £500 back in families’ pockets.

We have set aside over £1 billion in funding over the multi-year spending review period to cover additional meal costs. This includes milk. This is on top of £1.5 billion we already spend annually supporting schools to deliver free school meals and milk.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what timeline her Department has set for its consultation on updating school food standards in England.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The department aims to revise the School Food Standards and is engaging with stakeholders to ensure they support our work to create the healthiest generation of children in history.

We want to gather a broad spectrum of perspectives. To achieve this, we intend to consult on these revisions and further details on timings will be available in due course.

School governors and trustees have a statutory duty to ensure compliance, holding school leaders to account for meeting the School Food Standards. Through our review, we will engage with the sector on a range of matters, including monitoring compliance.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of asylum seekers in the education system have a date of birth recorded as 1 January.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The information requested is not held centrally.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what role local authorities will play in monitoring compliance with planned updated school food standards.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The department aims to revise the School Food Standards and is engaging with stakeholders to ensure they support our work to create the healthiest generation of children in history.

We want to gather a broad spectrum of perspectives. To achieve this, we intend to consult on these revisions and further details on timings will be available in due course.

School governors and trustees have a statutory duty to ensure compliance, holding school leaders to account for meeting the School Food Standards. Through our review, we will engage with the sector on a range of matters, including monitoring compliance.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what incentives are available to employers to support day-release arrangements for young people in further education and apprenticeships; and whether she plans to introduce additional measures to encourage employer participation in such schemes.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

T Levels include a substantive industry placement, with 96% of students completing their placement last year.

The Skills for Life campaign raises awareness of T Levels and other training, ensuring businesses understand their value. The department is increasing awareness of T Level industry placements and encouraging employers to take part through a network of T Level ambassadors, a targeted small and medium businesses (SME) campaign, and investing £6.3 million in the employer support fund. As part of the construction skills package, £100 million is committed to support 40,000 industry placements each year for construction learners.

An apprenticeship is a job with a formal programme of off-the-job training. The government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, giving greater flexibility to employers and learners. To support our ambition of 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships, we will expand foundation apprenticeships, launch a £140 million pilot with mayors to better connect young people to local apprenticeships, and fully fund SME apprenticeships for eligible 16 to 24-year-olds.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 6 January 2026 to Question 99790 on Free Schools, how much funding her Department has provided to Swift Academy in each financial year since 2016-17.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department provides and retains responsibility for capital funding for the acquisition of sites/land and construction of free schools. A site has not yet been acquired for this project. When a site is secured, details and costs of the acquisition will be set out on the Land Registry website. We also publish details and costs for all free school construction contracts on Contracts Finder.

The department also provides revenue funding (via project development grants) directly to proposers to cover essential non-capital costs prior to each school opening. A one-off project development grant of £30,000 was paid to the trust in July 2017 following the approval of the project.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether RSL levels will continue once V-Levels are introduced in September 2027.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department has recently closed the consultation on Post-16 Level 3 and Below Pathways. We are carefully considering transition arrangements to reach the new qualifications landscape set out in the Post-16 Skills White Paper, and will set out plans in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to introduce a multi-year funding settlement for the further education sector, and what assessment she has made of the potential benefits of a three-year funding cycle for workforce planning and financial sustainability in FE colleges.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Further education colleges have a number of different funding streams, including funding for 16-19 year-olds.

Funding for 16-19 year-olds is through a lagged funding system whereby the funding for each college is based on its student numbers in the previous year. However, for those institutions with a significant growth in students, the department recognises that there are additional costs and provides in-year growth funding to help with these.

This system allows funding for colleges to respond to changes in their delivery and give them confidence on 16-19 funding in the year ahead. Colleges are informed of their allocations several months before the start of the academic year to help them finalise their financial and workforce planning. Ensuring that funding directly reflects the number of students recruited enables institutions to recruit with confidence, whereas a fixed multi-year funding allocation would not. The department keeps the effectiveness of the funding system under review.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to outline funding arrangements for the Oak National Academy in 2026-2029.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department is providing grant-in-aid of up to a maximum of £17.412 million for Oak National Academy (Oak) for financial year 2025/26. The level of funding for Oak for financial years 2026/27 to 2027/28, as with other programmes, will be confirmed through the department’s business planning process. Funding from 2028/29 onward will be subject to the 2027 Spending Review.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to (a) encourage and (b) mandate that universities provide life-long career guidance and support to alumni.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Universities in England are autonomous, and as such it is for each provider to determine the nature and extent of the services they offer to their students and alumni, including any careers guidance or ongoing support after graduation.

The government encourages all higher education providers to offer high‑quality careers advice that supports students to progress into successful employment or further study. Whilst the Office for Students, the regulator for Higher Education in England, does not prescribe detailed careers guidance requirements to meet certain registration conditions, providers must ensure students can progress successfully into employment or further study. Doing so requires providers to equip students with the skills, knowledge, and information necessary for effective career decision-making.

Many universities already choose to provide career support to their graduates as part of their wider employability strategies, but decisions on the scope and duration of this provision remain a matter for individual providers.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that evidence drives the rollout of online parenting support contained in the Best Start in Life Strategy.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

As set out in the Best Start in Life strategy, the government will fund more evidence-based parenting and home learning offers through Best Start Family Hubs to achieve the 75% good level of development milestone, and bridge the critical gap before children enter school. We will set clearer rules to ensure that funding is used on high-quality parenting programmes.

The publication 'Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies – Preparing for implementation April 2026' sets out a number of relevant programme requirements around evidence, and the department will set out further information in the coming months, including on the online elements of the parenting offer. The publication is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/best-start-family-hubs-and-healthy-babies-guidance-for-local-authorities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to promote classical education within the state education sector.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The government is committed to supporting a broad and balanced curriculum that is inclusive and accessible to all pupils. Classical education, including classical studies and the study of ancient languages, offers valuable insights into history, language development, politics and art, and can enrich pupils’ understanding of the world today. All schools are free to include Classics within their curriculum, and GCSEs and A levels are available in this subject.

The department continues to work with organisations such as Classics for All, The Classical Association and Hands Up Education to ensure schools are aware of the free resources and support available to teach this subject.

To further strengthen subject expertise, we provide bursaries for trainee language teachers, including those training to teach ancient languages. For the 2026/27 academic year, this will be £20,000.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to provide additional financial support for (a) estranged students, (b) care leavers in higher education and (c) students without living parents in the context of the potential impact of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 on student housing.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government recognises that independent students including care leavers, care experienced students and estranged students may require additional support to access higher education.

As announced in the Post-16 Education and Skills white paper, we will increase student loan support in line with inflation and re-introduce targeted maintenance grants. We will also provide extra support for care leavers, ensuring all are automatically eligible to receive maximum student loan support, irrespective of their household income or living circumstances. In addition, care leavers will continue to receive a £2000 non-repayable bursary, to support with their living expenses.

We will work in collaboration with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and relevant external stakeholders to monitor the impacts of the Renters’ Rights Act and explore the accommodation needs of independent students studying in higher education. The department will soon be publishing a Statement of Expectations for the higher education sector, which will urge higher education providers to plan strategically for the supply of suitable accommodation for their students and include guidance on how providers can support the needs of vulnerable students.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Renters' Right Act on independent students who require accommodation between June and September.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government recognises that independent students including care leavers, care experienced students and estranged students may require additional support to access higher education.

As announced in the Post-16 Education and Skills white paper, we will increase student loan support in line with inflation and re-introduce targeted maintenance grants. We will also provide extra support for care leavers, ensuring all are automatically eligible to receive maximum student loan support, irrespective of their household income or living circumstances. In addition, care leavers will continue to receive a £2000 non-repayable bursary, to support with their living expenses.

We will work in collaboration with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and relevant external stakeholders to monitor the impacts of the Renters’ Rights Act and explore the accommodation needs of independent students studying in higher education. The department will soon be publishing a Statement of Expectations for the higher education sector, which will urge higher education providers to plan strategically for the supply of suitable accommodation for their students and include guidance on how providers can support the needs of vulnerable students.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria her Department uses to determine when to intervene in a Multi-Academy Trust experiencing financial difficulty; and what steps she is taking to hold trust leadership and trustees accountable for financial mismanagement.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Academy trusts play a central role in our education system, but accountability hasn’t kept pace with their growth. The government is delivering on its manifesto commitment by legislating to introduce Ofsted inspection of academy trusts, and intervention powers for the Secretary of State where inspection identifies that a trust is failing.

The department’s published guidance on Financial Support and Oversight for Academy Trusts sits alongside the Academy Trust Handbook and sets out the regulatory approach for the sector and how the department will engage with trusts in financial difficulty. Both of these documents can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/financial-support-and-oversight-for-academy-trusts/financial-support-and-oversight-for-academy-trusts-guidance, and: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-trust-handbook/academy-trust-handbook-2025-effective-from-1-september-2025.

Where there are concerns about the financial compliance or governance of a trust, the department will intervene and can issue a notice to improve setting conditions that the trust must meet to address concerns and avoid further action. The Secretary of State also has the power to terminate a trust's funding agreement in the most serious cases.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will continue to fund the Mandarin Excellence Programme beyond August.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Mandarin Excellence Programme is operating this academic year, and we are developing options for next and subsequent academic years, which we will set out in due course.

Found: Governmentalities of Action for Climate Empowerment. 6 DfE. (2022).

Found: Government departments as detailed in Table B: • £(60.0) million budget cover transfer to Department for Education

Found: EstimateTransfer to Ministry of Defence for radar mitigation-10Supplementary EstimateTransfer to Department for Education

Found: This began last summer with the Department for Education launching its consultation on setting up the

Found: On access to higher education, the response said the Ministry of Justice and Department for Education

Found: BodiesFood Standards Agency (FSA) streamlining regulation0.0397607075941407840.00.0=SUM(E49:G49)Department for Education

Found: Across the four UK nations, guidance assigns schools responsibility for legal compliance (the DfE, for

Found: which could help it tackle key loss areas such as household composition. 5 Data from the Department for Education

Found: Backing your business: our plan for small and medium sized businesses, 31 July 2025, p43 195 Department for Education

Found: DEL Total Department for Business and Trade Post Office Convictions £0.113m £0.113m Department for Education

Found: The ambition, shared by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Education and Department

Found: - Is it true that the DfE is planning to make cuts to spending on PE before the implementation of the

Found: the Schools Minister and provided detailed feedback to the D epartment f or E ducation (DfE

Found: Letter from the Minister for Children and Families at the Department for Education relating to the Committee

Found: Republic (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 Appendix 4: Memorandum from the Department for Education

Found: In July 2025 the Department for Education published the updated Relationships and Sexual Health Education

Found: In July 2025 the Department for Education published the updated Relationships and Sexual Health Education

Found: colleagues, including in other Departments where you might not expect as much— with the Department for Education

Found: colleagues, including in other Departments where you might not expect as much— with the Department for Education

Found: According to the Department for Education, almost half (48%) of all teachers retiring in 2020/21 did

Found: CTP, DfE, DHSC) across England, Scotland and Wales to raise Prevent delivery standards.

Found: effective interventions: a) Improving children’s dietary habits through holiday clubs The Department for Education

Found: improving health 5 FDF Scotland Success report: Reformulation for Health March 2024 6 DWP HMT and DfE

Found: lead for early years food and nutrition, with responsibility for coordinating across departments (DfE

Found: within day nurseries, childminders and preschool settings, and to support implementation of the new DfE

Found: Barnardo’s, 2025; Nourishing the Future_making healthy food accessible for every child.pdf 15 Department for Education

Found: between DEFRA and DHSC, although many elements are relevant to other government departments, including DfE

Found: 10-year-health-plan-for- england.pdf 6 Department for Work and Pensions, HM Treasury and Department for Education

Found: focus on include:  Financial education: We would like to see the Government set how the Department for Education

Found: Inclusion Strategy includes collaboration across government departments, including the Department for Education

Found: Pensions (DWP) is needed to align employment and progression policy, FIS0076 alongside the Department for Education

Found: Financial literacy spans Treasury (debt, tax), DfE (curriculum), DSIT (digital), DBT (business support

Found: insurance; investable assets held in cash versus investments; and financial education attainment (DfE

Found: Government Engagement  Stronger inter-departmental coordination (e.g., between HM Treasury, Department for Education

Found: .  35,821(27.1%) pupils in Leeds were eligible for and claiming a free school meal (DfE, 2025).  72%

Found: Treasury and welcome the cross- departmental collaboration with other Ministries, such as the Department for Education

Found: Regarding community based support and innovative ways of embedding financial inclusion ■ Department for Education

Found: We particularly welcome the leadership demonstrated by the Department for Education in respect of the

Found: A recent example saw the Department for Education, Social Work England and Ofsted complete a comparative

Found: Is it for the Home Office to defray the costs or for the Department for Education and higher education

Found: We are talking to the Department for Education with some ideas that we have that might help bring more

Found: the Prime Minister, Chancellor, DSIT, DBT, the Home Office, MoD, DHSC, DESNZ, DWP , and Department for Education

Found: comprehensive response, including the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology, the Department for Education

Found: 14 Dr Sajad Rezaei University of Worcester and Dr Rohit Trivedi University of Bradford (PRO0013) 15 DfE

Found: the Department of Levelling Up Local House & Communities (‘DLUHC’), the Department of Education (‘DFE

Found: It is delivered by the Department for Education (DfE) but applications are made through schools who

Found: Great British Energy invested into it, but so did the Department of Health and the Department for Education

Found: Great British Energy invested into it, but so did the Department of Health and the Department for Education

Found: Some of this sits in DFE as well so we have a joint Minister with Jacqui Smith doing that and a team

Found: We have done a pilot with Department for Education on enforcing the school food standards.

Found: All the work that we did on unaccompanied asylum-seeking children jointly with the DfE we also did with

Found: We have done work for DfE on valuing schools or measuring schools so that they can determine how best

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken with Cabinet colleagues to help increase workforce numbers in the farming and agriculture sectors in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme, (b) Staffordshire and (c) England.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government recognises that access to a sufficient workforce is essential for the resilience and productivity of the farming and agriculture sectors.

Defra works closely with other Government departments, including the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department for Education, to support workforce supply and ensure that employers in agriculture can access the people and skills they need. This includes engagement on employment programmes, skills routes and local delivery, which can benefit businesses in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire and across England.

Through the agricultural reform programme, we are investing £2.7 billion a year to support productivity, innovation and business resilience, helping to make farming and agriculture more sustainable and attractive as long-term careers.

The DWP delivers Sector-based Work Academy Programmes, which provide training, work experience and a guaranteed job interview tailored to employer needs. Between April 2021 and December 2025, DWP delivered 1,380 SWAP starts in the agriculture sector, helping employers to recruit and support people into agricultural roles.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of social care standards across England; and what steps he is taking to support greater consistency of care provision.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

National standards of care will be an integral part of the national care service we are building, so people can rely on consistent, high‑quality care wherever they live.

We are already progressing towards this through our three objectives for adult social care: giving people real choice and control, joining up health and social care around people’s lives, and ensuring consistent high‑quality care underpinned by national standards.

This year, the Government will set new national standards for care technologies and develop trusted guidance. This will mean that people and care providers can easily find out which technologies are fit for purpose, secure and meet compatibility requirements of health and social care systems in the future.

At the same time, in partnership with the Department for Education, we are developing a catalogue of data standards for Children’s and Adult’s Social Care Case Management Systems. This will enable greater data sharing with other agencies involved in organising a person’s care, in turn, improving the experience of care, local authority efficiency and the quality of central government data collection and reporting.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator for health and social care in England. CQC monitors, inspects and regulates adult social care services to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety. National measures of care quality have remained steady, with 85% of all social care settings regulated by the CQC rated Good or Outstanding on 2 January 2026. Where concerns on quality or safety are identified, the CQC uses its regulatory and enforcement powers available and will take action to ensure the safety of people drawing on care and support.

The independent commission into adult social care is underway as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a national care service. Phase 1 will report this year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to consider the development of national standards for adult social care in England.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

National standards of care will be an integral part of the national care service we are building, so people can rely on consistent, high‑quality care wherever they live.

We are already progressing towards this through our three objectives for adult social care: giving people real choice and control, joining up health and social care around people’s lives, and ensuring consistent high‑quality care underpinned by national standards.

This year, the Government will set new national standards for care technologies and develop trusted guidance. This will mean that people and care providers can easily find out which technologies are fit for purpose, secure and meet compatibility requirements of health and social care systems in the future.

At the same time, in partnership with the Department for Education, we are developing a catalogue of data standards for Children’s and Adult’s Social Care Case Management Systems. This will enable greater data sharing with other agencies involved in organising a person’s care, in turn, improving the experience of care, local authority efficiency and the quality of central government data collection and reporting.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator for health and social care in England. CQC monitors, inspects and regulates adult social care services to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety. National measures of care quality have remained steady, with 85% of all social care settings regulated by the CQC rated Good or Outstanding on 2 January 2026. Where concerns on quality or safety are identified, the CQC uses its regulatory and enforcement powers available and will take action to ensure the safety of people drawing on care and support.

The independent commission into adult social care is underway as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a national care service. Phase 1 will report this year.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to increase awareness among young people of career opportunities in British manufacturing industries.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Government is taking a range of steps to increase awareness among young people of the diverse and rewarding career opportunities available in British manufacturing. This forms part of our wider efforts to reduce the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). Promoting the Youth Guarantee, the Government’s commitment to ensure young people have access to support to find a job, training or an apprenticeship, is a key element of this approach.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) promotes careers in manufacturing to young people through a range of national and local activity, including Jobcentre-led manufacturing-focused careers sessions, employer talks and jobs boards focused on apprenticeships and early careers roles. Work Coaches are also being upskilled to help them confidently challenge outdated myths and discuss modern manufacturing with young people.

We work closely with industry bodies such as Make UK and the Institute for Grocery Distributors, to support young people to better understand the breadth of manufacturing careers available. In addition, we encourage employers to directly engage with schools and colleges, and work closely with the National Careers Service to provide clear information on routes into the sector. We also promote pathways into manufacturing, including government skills interventions such as Sector-based Work Academy Programmes and Skills Bootcamps, and apprenticeships.

National Manufacturing Day (NMD) further supports these efforts by opening up factories and workplaces to schools, colleges, and local communities. Through activities such as factory tours, demonstrations and employer-led talks young people can see firsthand what modern manufacturing looks like and the range of roles available, including apprenticeships and graduate routes. The Department for Education (DfE) supports NMD by promoting it to schools and parents and providing materials on education and training routes into the sector for school leavers.

Finally, DWP hosts regular Jobs and Careers Fairs, with planned events throughout 2026, designed to support young people, particularly those who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET, to explore opportunities across different sectors, including manufacturing. These events enable young people to access advice and training and engage directly with employers.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential impact of social media use on children’s mental health.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

I share the worries of parents and many of those in the medical profession; the question is not whether the government will act, but how. These are nuanced issues on which there are a diverse range of views; that is why we are launching a consultation and national conversation on next steps. We are also working closely across government on these topics, with DHSC, as well as Ofcom, DfE, and the Home Office. Furthermore, the Department for Education will be producing guidance on screentime.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of graduate schemes in supporting graduate-level employment.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Graduate schemes are designed and operated by individual employers and are not overseen or monitored by DWP. As such, DWP does not hold a central assessment of the adequacy of these employer‑run schemes.

Although we do not capture data on the adequacy of graduate schemes, the latest published DfE data shoes the unemployment rate for graduates is lower than non-graduates. A link to this data can be found here.

DWP’s role is to support all jobseekers, including graduates, into work through Jobcentre Plus and wider programmes; departments and employers are responsible for the design and evaluation of their own graduate schemes.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of safeguarding practices on requiring parents to seek retrospective court remedies.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

This Government is committed to protecting children from harm. The Children Act 1989 sets out specific duties for local authorities to provide services to children in their area if they are in need and to undertake enquiries if they believe a child has suffered or is likely to suffer significant harm.

Under Section 46 of the Children Act 1989, police may only facilitate a change in a child’s place of residence despite the refusal of a parent with parental responsibility if a child is at immediate risk of significant harm, by exercising Police Protection Powers. In this case, police may only remove a child or keep a child in a safe place for a maximum 72 hours before requiring a court authorisation to sustain the separation from their parent with parental responsibility.

There are already clear expectations that the local authority brings the matter before the family court within the 72-hour time limit, ensuring judicial oversight of continued change in a child’s place of residence.

Under Section 20 of the Children Act 1989, local authorities can also change a child’s place of residence with the consent of all people that hold parental responsibility for that child.

Whether an application is made prior to or after a child's change of residence, the Government recognises that involvement in family court proceedings, including when children are moved for safeguarding purposes, can be a distressing experience for the families involved. That is why the Department for Education has funded research, conducted by Birkbeck university, into the experiences of parents, children and special guardians involved in public law family court proceedings, as well as a policy and literature review of advice and information materials available to parties. The report setting out their findings and recommendations can be found here: https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/56714/.

The Government welcomes this report and takes the experiences of children and families in the family court system seriously.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has considered introducing a requirement for automatic judicial oversight within a fixed timeframe where state bodies facilitate a significant change in a child’s living arrangements as part of safeguarding practice.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

This Government is committed to protecting children from harm. The Children Act 1989 sets out specific duties for local authorities to provide services to children in their area if they are in need and to undertake enquiries if they believe a child has suffered or is likely to suffer significant harm.

Under Section 46 of the Children Act 1989, police may only facilitate a change in a child’s place of residence despite the refusal of a parent with parental responsibility if a child is at immediate risk of significant harm, by exercising Police Protection Powers. In this case, police may only remove a child or keep a child in a safe place for a maximum 72 hours before requiring a court authorisation to sustain the separation from their parent with parental responsibility.

There are already clear expectations that the local authority brings the matter before the family court within the 72-hour time limit, ensuring judicial oversight of continued change in a child’s place of residence.

Under Section 20 of the Children Act 1989, local authorities can also change a child’s place of residence with the consent of all people that hold parental responsibility for that child.

Whether an application is made prior to or after a child's change of residence, the Government recognises that involvement in family court proceedings, including when children are moved for safeguarding purposes, can be a distressing experience for the families involved. That is why the Department for Education has funded research, conducted by Birkbeck university, into the experiences of parents, children and special guardians involved in public law family court proceedings, as well as a policy and literature review of advice and information materials available to parties. The report setting out their findings and recommendations can be found here: https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/56714/.

The Government welcomes this report and takes the experiences of children and families in the family court system seriously.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether national guidance permits (a) police forces and (b) local authority Children’s Services to facilitate a material change in a child’s place of residence without prior court authorisation where one parent with parental responsibility has refused consent.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

This Government is committed to protecting children from harm. The Children Act 1989 sets out specific duties for local authorities to provide services to children in their area if they are in need and to undertake enquiries if they believe a child has suffered or is likely to suffer significant harm.

Under Section 46 of the Children Act 1989, police may only facilitate a change in a child’s place of residence despite the refusal of a parent with parental responsibility if a child is at immediate risk of significant harm, by exercising Police Protection Powers. In this case, police may only remove a child or keep a child in a safe place for a maximum 72 hours before requiring a court authorisation to sustain the separation from their parent with parental responsibility.

There are already clear expectations that the local authority brings the matter before the family court within the 72-hour time limit, ensuring judicial oversight of continued change in a child’s place of residence.

Under Section 20 of the Children Act 1989, local authorities can also change a child’s place of residence with the consent of all people that hold parental responsibility for that child.

Whether an application is made prior to or after a child's change of residence, the Government recognises that involvement in family court proceedings, including when children are moved for safeguarding purposes, can be a distressing experience for the families involved. That is why the Department for Education has funded research, conducted by Birkbeck university, into the experiences of parents, children and special guardians involved in public law family court proceedings, as well as a policy and literature review of advice and information materials available to parties. The report setting out their findings and recommendations can be found here: https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/56714/.

The Government welcomes this report and takes the experiences of children and families in the family court system seriously.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which delays in confirming funding allocations following the 2025 Spending Review have contributed to a reduction in local authority staff working in Reducing Parental Conflict coordination posts.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

This government wants to ensure that every child has the best start in life. We know that healthy parental relationships are an important part of this ambition, and the Reducing Parental Conflict (RPC) programme continues to deliver effective relationship support for parents, working closely with local authorities (LAs).

Our 2022-25 evaluation has recognised the value that Local Authority staffing, particularly the role of coordinators as drivers of change, bring to the integration and delivery of RPC within their local areas. That is why we have continued to fund and support the coordinator posts. LAs can vary their staffing levels depending on local priorities and decisions on how to use their individual Local Grant funding, however knowledge and expertise remain due to wider workforce training funded by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

The government is keenly aware of the importance of communicating decisions on future funding to LAs, and the impact this has on workforce and delivery of parental support. We appreciate the importance of timely information for the organisations and individuals involved, and we will share updates at the earliest opportunity.

Relationship status is not an outcome measured by the RPC programme. DWP therefore does not routinely collect this information. The programme focuses on reducing the frequency, intensity and impact of parental conflict on children, rather than whether parents remain together or separate.

Wider evaluations of the RPC programme, such as our 2018-2022 evaluation, demonstrated the clear impact of improved parental relationships – whether together or apart – on children’s mental health and wellbeing. The evaluation of the RPC Local Grant (2022–25) showed the importance of embedding relationship support alongside family help services, and within the places and spaces where families access support. This is at the heart of the Government’s approach to supporting families, as creating a more integrated system of support is a central ambition of the Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies Programme, and the roll out of Best Start Family Hubs to every Local Authority in England.

Ensuring families have access to the effective support that they need remains an important shared endeavour across government. DWP are committed to working closely with the Department for Education, and across government, to ensure that families continue to benefit from approaches that improve relationships and support better outcomes for children.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the sufficiency of local authority staffing to deliver the Reducing Parental Conflict programme; and what comparison they have made to the level of such staffing in March 2025.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

This government wants to ensure that every child has the best start in life. We know that healthy parental relationships are an important part of this ambition, and the Reducing Parental Conflict (RPC) programme continues to deliver effective relationship support for parents, working closely with local authorities (LAs).

Our 2022-25 evaluation has recognised the value that Local Authority staffing, particularly the role of coordinators as drivers of change, bring to the integration and delivery of RPC within their local areas. That is why we have continued to fund and support the coordinator posts. LAs can vary their staffing levels depending on local priorities and decisions on how to use their individual Local Grant funding, however knowledge and expertise remain due to wider workforce training funded by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

The government is keenly aware of the importance of communicating decisions on future funding to LAs, and the impact this has on workforce and delivery of parental support. We appreciate the importance of timely information for the organisations and individuals involved, and we will share updates at the earliest opportunity.

Relationship status is not an outcome measured by the RPC programme. DWP therefore does not routinely collect this information. The programme focuses on reducing the frequency, intensity and impact of parental conflict on children, rather than whether parents remain together or separate.

Wider evaluations of the RPC programme, such as our 2018-2022 evaluation, demonstrated the clear impact of improved parental relationships – whether together or apart – on children’s mental health and wellbeing. The evaluation of the RPC Local Grant (2022–25) showed the importance of embedding relationship support alongside family help services, and within the places and spaces where families access support. This is at the heart of the Government’s approach to supporting families, as creating a more integrated system of support is a central ambition of the Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies Programme, and the roll out of Best Start Family Hubs to every Local Authority in England.

Ensuring families have access to the effective support that they need remains an important shared endeavour across government. DWP are committed to working closely with the Department for Education, and across government, to ensure that families continue to benefit from approaches that improve relationships and support better outcomes for children.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of couples who received support through the Reducing Parental Conflict Local Grant programme (2022–25) were (1) still together, and (2) separated or separating at the point of first engagement; and whether this information was routinely collected as part of programme monitoring.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

This government wants to ensure that every child has the best start in life. We know that healthy parental relationships are an important part of this ambition, and the Reducing Parental Conflict (RPC) programme continues to deliver effective relationship support for parents, working closely with local authorities (LAs).

Our 2022-25 evaluation has recognised the value that Local Authority staffing, particularly the role of coordinators as drivers of change, bring to the integration and delivery of RPC within their local areas. That is why we have continued to fund and support the coordinator posts. LAs can vary their staffing levels depending on local priorities and decisions on how to use their individual Local Grant funding, however knowledge and expertise remain due to wider workforce training funded by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

The government is keenly aware of the importance of communicating decisions on future funding to LAs, and the impact this has on workforce and delivery of parental support. We appreciate the importance of timely information for the organisations and individuals involved, and we will share updates at the earliest opportunity.

Relationship status is not an outcome measured by the RPC programme. DWP therefore does not routinely collect this information. The programme focuses on reducing the frequency, intensity and impact of parental conflict on children, rather than whether parents remain together or separate.

Wider evaluations of the RPC programme, such as our 2018-2022 evaluation, demonstrated the clear impact of improved parental relationships – whether together or apart – on children’s mental health and wellbeing. The evaluation of the RPC Local Grant (2022–25) showed the importance of embedding relationship support alongside family help services, and within the places and spaces where families access support. This is at the heart of the Government’s approach to supporting families, as creating a more integrated system of support is a central ambition of the Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies Programme, and the roll out of Best Start Family Hubs to every Local Authority in England.

Ensuring families have access to the effective support that they need remains an important shared endeavour across government. DWP are committed to working closely with the Department for Education, and across government, to ensure that families continue to benefit from approaches that improve relationships and support better outcomes for children.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to announce funding allocations for the Reducing Parental Conflict programme following the 2025 Spending Review; and how they are mitigating the impact of any delay on local authority planning and workforce retention.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

This government wants to ensure that every child has the best start in life. We know that healthy parental relationships are an important part of this ambition, and the Reducing Parental Conflict (RPC) programme continues to deliver effective relationship support for parents, working closely with local authorities (LAs).

Our 2022-25 evaluation has recognised the value that Local Authority staffing, particularly the role of coordinators as drivers of change, bring to the integration and delivery of RPC within their local areas. That is why we have continued to fund and support the coordinator posts. LAs can vary their staffing levels depending on local priorities and decisions on how to use their individual Local Grant funding, however knowledge and expertise remain due to wider workforce training funded by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

The government is keenly aware of the importance of communicating decisions on future funding to LAs, and the impact this has on workforce and delivery of parental support. We appreciate the importance of timely information for the organisations and individuals involved, and we will share updates at the earliest opportunity.

Relationship status is not an outcome measured by the RPC programme. DWP therefore does not routinely collect this information. The programme focuses on reducing the frequency, intensity and impact of parental conflict on children, rather than whether parents remain together or separate.

Wider evaluations of the RPC programme, such as our 2018-2022 evaluation, demonstrated the clear impact of improved parental relationships – whether together or apart – on children’s mental health and wellbeing. The evaluation of the RPC Local Grant (2022–25) showed the importance of embedding relationship support alongside family help services, and within the places and spaces where families access support. This is at the heart of the Government’s approach to supporting families, as creating a more integrated system of support is a central ambition of the Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies Programme, and the roll out of Best Start Family Hubs to every Local Authority in England.

Ensuring families have access to the effective support that they need remains an important shared endeavour across government. DWP are committed to working closely with the Department for Education, and across government, to ensure that families continue to benefit from approaches that improve relationships and support better outcomes for children.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relationship between local authority Reducing Parental Conflict coordination capacity and the effective delivery of the programme, including workforce training, commissioning and service reach.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

This government wants to ensure that every child has the best start in life. We know that healthy parental relationships are an important part of this ambition, and the Reducing Parental Conflict (RPC) programme continues to deliver effective relationship support for parents, working closely with local authorities (LAs).

Our 2022-25 evaluation has recognised the value that Local Authority staffing, particularly the role of coordinators as drivers of change, bring to the integration and delivery of RPC within their local areas. That is why we have continued to fund and support the coordinator posts. LAs can vary their staffing levels depending on local priorities and decisions on how to use their individual Local Grant funding, however knowledge and expertise remain due to wider workforce training funded by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

The government is keenly aware of the importance of communicating decisions on future funding to LAs, and the impact this has on workforce and delivery of parental support. We appreciate the importance of timely information for the organisations and individuals involved, and we will share updates at the earliest opportunity.

Relationship status is not an outcome measured by the RPC programme. DWP therefore does not routinely collect this information. The programme focuses on reducing the frequency, intensity and impact of parental conflict on children, rather than whether parents remain together or separate.

Wider evaluations of the RPC programme, such as our 2018-2022 evaluation, demonstrated the clear impact of improved parental relationships – whether together or apart – on children’s mental health and wellbeing. The evaluation of the RPC Local Grant (2022–25) showed the importance of embedding relationship support alongside family help services, and within the places and spaces where families access support. This is at the heart of the Government’s approach to supporting families, as creating a more integrated system of support is a central ambition of the Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies Programme, and the roll out of Best Start Family Hubs to every Local Authority in England.

Ensuring families have access to the effective support that they need remains an important shared endeavour across government. DWP are committed to working closely with the Department for Education, and across government, to ensure that families continue to benefit from approaches that improve relationships and support better outcomes for children.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what conclusions they have drawn from their evaluation of the Reducing Parental Conflict Local Grant programme (2022–25) regarding outcomes for parental conflict, co-parenting relationships and child wellbeing.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

This government wants to ensure that every child has the best start in life. We know that healthy parental relationships are an important part of this ambition, and the Reducing Parental Conflict (RPC) programme continues to deliver effective relationship support for parents, working closely with local authorities (LAs).

Our 2022-25 evaluation has recognised the value that Local Authority staffing, particularly the role of coordinators as drivers of change, bring to the integration and delivery of RPC within their local areas. That is why we have continued to fund and support the coordinator posts. LAs can vary their staffing levels depending on local priorities and decisions on how to use their individual Local Grant funding, however knowledge and expertise remain due to wider workforce training funded by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

The government is keenly aware of the importance of communicating decisions on future funding to LAs, and the impact this has on workforce and delivery of parental support. We appreciate the importance of timely information for the organisations and individuals involved, and we will share updates at the earliest opportunity.

Relationship status is not an outcome measured by the RPC programme. DWP therefore does not routinely collect this information. The programme focuses on reducing the frequency, intensity and impact of parental conflict on children, rather than whether parents remain together or separate.

Wider evaluations of the RPC programme, such as our 2018-2022 evaluation, demonstrated the clear impact of improved parental relationships – whether together or apart – on children’s mental health and wellbeing. The evaluation of the RPC Local Grant (2022–25) showed the importance of embedding relationship support alongside family help services, and within the places and spaces where families access support. This is at the heart of the Government’s approach to supporting families, as creating a more integrated system of support is a central ambition of the Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies Programme, and the roll out of Best Start Family Hubs to every Local Authority in England.

Ensuring families have access to the effective support that they need remains an important shared endeavour across government. DWP are committed to working closely with the Department for Education, and across government, to ensure that families continue to benefit from approaches that improve relationships and support better outcomes for children.

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Question

Did the Welsh Government's budget for 2026-27 receive an uplift due to the introduction of 20 per cent VAT on independent schools, and if so, by how much?

Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language

The additional tax raised through charging VAT on independent school fees will have increased the UK Government’s overall tax revenues. The UK’s Department for Education has said that money raised from VAT will fund public services, including education priorities.

At the Spending Review in June last year, the Welsh Government received Barnett consequentials in relation to changes in funding by UK Government on programmes in areas devolved to Wales in the normal way. It is not possible to identify any uplift to Welsh Government funding specifically as a result of charging VAT on independent school fees.