Asked by: Baroness Nye (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people from (1) Afghanistan, (2) Cameroon, (3) Myanmar, (4) Sudan, (5) China, and (6) Nigeria, are in the UK on student visas.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas and in-country extensions by visa type and nationality in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Table 1 contains data on the requested nationalities for sponsored study visa grants and table 2 contains data on the requested nationalities for extensions on sponsored study visas. The data provided is for main applicants and dependants. Not everyone granted a visa, or extension, will currently be in the UK. The latest data is up to the end of December 2025.
The Home Office publishes the Migrant Journey report which provides data on the number of individuals who hold valid Study-related leave, by nationality, at the end of a given year within their immigration journey. Data on the number of migrants holding valid leave on a study route at the end of a given year are published in table MJ_D01 of the Migrant Journey detailed dataset and table 3. Not everyone with valid leave will currently be in the UK – the dataset counts people with valid immigration status rather than confirmed presence in the country. The latest data is up to the end of December 2024.
Table 1 – Grants on Sponsored Study Student visas, year ending 2021 to year ending 2025
Nationality | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
Afghanistan | 329 | 819 | 1,853 | 454 | 277 |
Cameroon | 411 | 537 | 568 | 385 | 536 |
Myanmar | 487 | 1,124 | 1,575 | 1,778 | 2,084 |
Sudan | 308 | 341 | 290 | 262 | 242 |
China | 119,045 | 103,804 | 109,974 | 104,626 | 89,272 |
Nigeria | 42,969 | 118,896 | 95,498 | 27,170 | 37,090 |
Table 2 – Grants on Sponsored Study Student extensions, year ending 2021 to year ending 2025
Nationality | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
Afghanistan | 10 | 17 | 37 | 13 | 45 |
Cameroon | 59 | 39 | 64 | 56 | 44 |
Myanmar | 79 | 178 | 294 | 227 | 279 |
Sudan | 64 | 75 | 101 | 54 | 47 |
China | 8,770 | 23,442 | 14,704 | 12,734 | 11,076 |
Nigeria | 3,788 | 4,707 | 5,015 | 4,649 | 3,894 |
Table 3 – Number of journeys where an individual held sponsored study leave at the end of 2024
Nationality | Journeys |
Afghanistan | 1,255 |
Cameroon | 885 |
Myanmar | 3,009 |
Sudan | 583 |
China | 221,855 |
Nigeria | 89,022 |
Asked by: Baroness Nye (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Chinese companies they have sanctioned for supplying arms and equipment to the Burmese military.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Since 2021, the UK Government has enacted 19 sanctions packages, including 10 individual sanctions targeting the import of aviation fuel into Myanmar. We have also sanctioned 25 individuals and 39 entities targeting the regime's access to finance, arms and equipment, none of which is Chinese. We keep all evidence and potential designations under close review. It would not be appropriate to speculate about potential future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact.
Asked by: Baroness Nye (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the imposition of sanctions by the United States of America in January, whether they have considered imposing similar sanctions on Mytel, a mobile network and joint venture of the Burmese and Vietnamese militaries.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Since 2021, the UK Government has enacted 19 sanctions packages, including 10 individual sanctions targeting the import of aviation fuel into Myanmar. We have also sanctioned 25 individuals and 39 entities targeting the regime's access to finance, arms and equipment, none of which is Chinese. We keep all evidence and potential designations under close review. It would not be appropriate to speculate about potential future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact.
Asked by: Baroness Nye (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent steps they have taken to cut off revenue, arms and equipment to the Burmese military.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Since 2021, the UK Government has enacted 19 sanctions packages, including 10 individual sanctions targeting the import of aviation fuel into Myanmar. We have also sanctioned 25 individuals and 39 entities targeting the regime's access to finance, arms and equipment, none of which is Chinese. We keep all evidence and potential designations under close review. It would not be appropriate to speculate about potential future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact.
Asked by: Baroness Nye (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to develop a strategic vision for the future of sport in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is clear that sport has a fundamental role to play in delivering its Plan for Change whether through getting the nation more active, driving growth through our world leading sport sector or tackling issues such as youth violence by offering positive routes of engagement.
We are committed to working in partnership with the sport sector to maximise the role it has to play across our society.
Asked by: Baroness Nye (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to enable GPs to prescribe antivirals, including Paxlovid, for the treatment of Covid in accordance with NICE evaluations.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Decisions on whether licensed medicines, including antivirals for COVID-19, should be recommended for routine National Health Service funding are made independently by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), on the basis of the evidence of costs and benefits.
The NICE recommends the antiviral Paxlovid, a combination of nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir, as an option for treating COVID-19 in adults, only if they do not need supplemental oxygen for COVID-19, and they have any of the following:
A phased implementation of the NICE’s recommendations on Paxlovid has been agreed, to allow more time for the NHS to put in place the capacity and infrastructure needed for the full rollout to all eligible patients. Prescribers, including general practitioners, are currently able to prescribe Paxlovid to NHS patients at the highest risk of severe COVID-19, in line with the approach to rollout set out in the NICE’s guidance.
Asked by: Baroness Nye (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government why Russian companies supplying aircraft parts to the Myanmar military have been sanctioned while Chinese companies supplying jets have not.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Since the coup in February 2021, the UK has announced sanctions on 25 individuals and 39 entities under the Myanmar Sanctions Regulations, targeting the military's access to resources, funds and equipment. We keep all evidence and potential designations under close review, and it would not be appropriate to speculate about future sanctions as to do so could reduce their impact. The UK is clear that countries should not sell arms, including aircraft parts, to the Myanmar military.
Asked by: Baroness Nye (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have reviewed contingency plans for British citizens and embassy staff in Myanmar to address any possible collapse or defeat of the Myanmar military.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The FCDO requires all our Missions overseas to have the right crisis practices, procedures, systems and structures in place to respond to a range of scenarios overseas. The British Embassy Yangon has such plans which are regularly reviewed. We continue to monitor the situation in Myanmar closely. We advise all British Nationals in Myanmar to pay close attention to the FCDO's travel advice for Myanmar.
Asked by: Baroness Nye (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what funding they are providing for demining projects in areas of Myanmar not under the control of the military.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK Government does not fund any demining projects in Myanmar, as demining organisations are not permitted to conduct mine clearance activities there. Risk education is permitted, and this financial year the FCDO's Global Mine Action Programme (GMAP) is providing £600,000 in funding for UK NGO the HALO Trust and Mines Advisory Group to deliver this activity. Humanitarian mine action is a neutral activity, and the GMAP Myanmar programme currently delivers risk education to at risk groups and communities where conditions allow, regardless of who is in control.
Asked by: Baroness Nye (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what funding they have provided for determining which infrastructure projects in Myanmar are not under the control of the military.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We are clear UK businesses should not work with the Myanmar military. The UK's Overseas Business Risk Guidance encourages UK businesses to conduct their own enhanced due diligence before making any investments, to ensure they do not enter into commercial relationships directly with the military or with their supply chain. To inform our Myanmar sanctions strategy, we conduct thorough research to identify military linked companies and their beneficial owners. Since the coup, we have announced 14 rounds of sanctions, which have limited the military's access to arms, revenue and equipment.