Written questions by Dodds.

If the new community sponsorship safe routes will be open to nationals from Sudan and Afghanistan.

In the Restoring Order and Control policy statement, the Government committed to transforming its approach to safe and legal routes. This included the creation of a named sponsorship scheme to enable community groups to sponsor refugees and displaced persons.The Named sponsorship routes will enable community groups to identify and select refugees and displaced persons to sponsor.Eligibility requirements for the route, including who can be sponsored, have yet to be set. Further details, including eligibility requirements, will be set out in due course.

Whether the 18 month review of visa brakes includes engagement with Departments other than her own.

The visa brake is not intended to be permanent and will be kept under regular review by the Home Office in close consultation with other government departments. The brake will only be released once the government considers it appropriate to do so. The decision on whether or not to release the brake will be taken by the Secretary of State for the Home Department after consideration of a range of inputs from across government.

How many of those in the UK on Skilled Worker and Study visa routes have gone on to claim asylum by nationality, per quarter for the last four quarters.

The Home Office publishes data on visas and asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. The number of Skilled Worker and Study entry clearance visas and extensions, broken down by nationality, is published in table Vis_D02 of the 'Entry clearance visas datasets' and table Exe_D01 of the 'Extensions datasets'. Data on asylum claims broken down by nationality or broken down by route of entry is available in table Asy_D01 and table Asy_D01a of the ‘Asylum claims and initial decisions datasets’. The Home Office does not currently publish a full nationality breakdown for asylum claims by holders of Skilled Worker visas or study visas.Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data. These reviews allow us to balance the production of our regular statistics whilst developing new statistics for future release.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many Sudanese nationals have been awarded Chevening Scholarships for each of the last five years.

I can confirm that 79 Sudanese nationals were awarded Chevening Scholarships in the years 2021-25.

What assessment was made of the potential impact on atrocity prevention in the decision to introduce student visa breaks for nationals of Sudan.

Equality Impact Assessments have been completed in line with the Equality Act 2010 for the emergency brakes on Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan. These were completed alongside extensive cross-government assessments and consultations as each nationality was under consideration.The UK takes its humanitarian, development, and conflict prevention work seriously and remains committed to supporting countries affected by conflict, instability, and poverty. In Afghanistan, the UK’s £151 million aid programme (equivalent to 13.3 billion Afghanis) provides lifesaving support to vulnerable communities, with a commitment that at least half of those reached are women and girls.The UK is equally committed to supporting people in Sudan, Myanmar, and neighbouring regions. The UK provides £146 million in humanitarian aid to Sudan this financial year, assisting over 2.5 million people since the conflict began in 2023. In Myanmar, the UK continues to support a more stable future for the population, providing humanitarian assistance to more than 1.4 million people in the past year and essential health services to 1.3 million. Since the 2021 military coup, the UK has supplied over £190 million in assistance to help address the country’s ongoing humanitarian crisis.As set out in the Restoring Order and Control policy statement, the Government remains committed to the introduction of capped safe and legal routes for refugees and displaced people to come to the United Kingdom. These new safe and legal routes will start this autumn with a student refugee route, with the first arrivals in Autumn 2027. Dedicated humanitarian routes are the appropriate way to combine compassion and control with securing our border.Continuing to operate a Study route where, for example, in the past 3 years more Afghan students claimed asylum than we issued new student visas in each year, does not achieve the appropriate balance between compassion, control and a secure border.The Impact Assessment published alongside the Statement of Changes on 5 March sets out the anticipated costs and potential savings of the visa brakes.

What steps her Department is taking to help reduce the time taken to carry out inquests.

Coroner services are locally funded and administered in each of the 74 coroner areas in England and Wales. Operational issues are the responsibility of the relevant local authority in each area and real-time inquest data is not collated centrally.The Government publishes annual coroner statistics for England and Wales at: Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. The 2025 Statistics will be published on 14 May 2026.The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is swift as possible and puts the bereaved at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems. We will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services England and Wales. This work will also take into account the implications of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill for the delivery of coroner services and the experience of the bereaved at inquest.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of inquest delays on bereaved families.

Coroner services are locally funded and administered in each of the 74 coroner areas in England and Wales. Operational issues are the responsibility of the relevant local authority in each area and real-time inquest data is not collated centrally.The Government publishes annual coroner statistics for England and Wales at: Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. The 2025 Statistics will be published on 14 May 2026.The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is swift as possible and puts the bereaved at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems. We will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services England and Wales. This work will also take into account the implications of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill for the delivery of coroner services and the experience of the bereaved at inquest.

What assessment was made of the potential impact of the decision to introduce student visa breaks for nationals of Sudan and Afghanistan on access to higher education in those countries.

Equality Impact Assessments have been completed in line with the Equality Act 2010 for the emergency brakes on Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan. These were completed alongside extensive cross-government assessments and consultations as each nationality was under consideration.The UK takes its humanitarian, development, and conflict prevention work seriously and remains committed to supporting countries affected by conflict, instability, and poverty. In Afghanistan, the UK’s £151 million aid programme (equivalent to 13.3 billion Afghanis) provides lifesaving support to vulnerable communities, with a commitment that at least half of those reached are women and girls.The UK is equally committed to supporting people in Sudan, Myanmar, and neighbouring regions. The UK provides £146 million in humanitarian aid to Sudan this financial year, assisting over 2.5 million people since the conflict began in 2023. In Myanmar, the UK continues to support a more stable future for the population, providing humanitarian assistance to more than 1.4 million people in the past year and essential health services to 1.3 million. Since the 2021 military coup, the UK has supplied over £190 million in assistance to help address the country’s ongoing humanitarian crisis.As set out in the Restoring Order and Control policy statement, the Government remains committed to the introduction of capped safe and legal routes for refugees and displaced people to come to the United Kingdom. These new safe and legal routes will start this autumn with a student refugee route, with the first arrivals in Autumn 2027. Dedicated humanitarian routes are the appropriate way to combine compassion and control with securing our border.Continuing to operate a Study route where, for example, in the past 3 years more Afghan students claimed asylum than we issued new student visas in each year, does not achieve the appropriate balance between compassion, control and a secure border.The Impact Assessment published alongside the Statement of Changes on 5 March sets out the anticipated costs and potential savings of the visa brakes.

How many inquests are currently in progress in England as of 11 March 2026.

Coroner services are locally funded and administered in each of the 74 coroner areas in England and Wales. Operational issues are the responsibility of the relevant local authority in each area and real-time inquest data is not collated centrally.The Government publishes annual coroner statistics for England and Wales at: Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. The 2025 Statistics will be published on 14 May 2026.The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is swift as possible and puts the bereaved at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems. We will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services England and Wales. This work will also take into account the implications of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill for the delivery of coroner services and the experience of the bereaved at inquest.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the time taken for coroner inquests to be completed on bereaved families in England.

Coroner services are locally funded and administered in each of the 74 coroner areas in England and Wales. Operational issues are the responsibility of the relevant local authority in each area and real-time inquest data is not collated centrally.The Government publishes annual coroner statistics for England and Wales at: Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. The 2025 Statistics will be published on 14 May 2026.The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is swift as possible and puts the bereaved at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems. We will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services England and Wales. This work will also take into account the implications of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill for the delivery of coroner services and the experience of the bereaved at inquest.

Whether he has had recent discussions with the Chief Coroner, Local Authorities and other key partners on reducing the length of time for inquests.

Coroner services are locally funded and administered in each of the 74 coroner areas in England and Wales. Operational issues are the responsibility of the relevant local authority in each area and real-time inquest data is not collated centrally.The Government publishes annual coroner statistics for England and Wales at: Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. The 2025 Statistics will be published on 14 May 2026.The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is swift as possible and puts the bereaved at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems. We will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services England and Wales. This work will also take into account the implications of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill for the delivery of coroner services and the experience of the bereaved at inquest.

Whether her Department operates a policy of ending study visas for nationalities where asylum claims from students go beyond a certain percentage.

From 26 March 2026, we will refuse sponsored study visa applications from main applicants outside of the UK who are nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan. Additionally, we will refuse Skilled Worker visa applications from main applicants outside of the UK who are nationals of Afghanistan. Almost 8,000 students from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sudan and Cameroon have claimed asylum since 2021. This is over 470% of their 2021 level. Without action, asylum claims will start to outstrip visas issued – and in the case of Afghan workers has already done so.Due to the impact of asylum claims on border operations and the wider immigration system, these high numbers are not sustainable. The UK keeps its visa system under regular review and decisions on changes are informed by a range of factors.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 119435 on Asylum: Sudan, how many of those who claimed asylum were Chevening Scholars.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Available data on asylum claims linked to study visas for Sudan is referenced in the answer to Question 119435.The requested information on asylum claims from Chevening scholars is not available from published statistics.Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data. These reviews allow us to balance the production of our regular statistics whilst developing new statistics for future release.

Innovation and Technology, what work her Department has undertaken on the implementation of the user identity verification provisions in the Online Safety Act.

Ofcom will be consulting on guidance for user identity verification required under the Online Safety Act, following the publication of the categorisation register. The consultation findings will be published as soon as possible, by mid-2027.The Act requires providers to offer UK adult users features to filter out non verified users; this will help women and girls filter out anonymous abuse more effectively.The user identify verification requirements will allow users greater protection of their data identity and improves digital inclusion and accessibility.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the implementation of the user identity verification provisions in the Online Safety Act on the Government’s target to halve violence against women and girls.

Ofcom will be consulting on guidance for user identity verification required under the Online Safety Act, following the publication of the categorisation register. The consultation findings will be published as soon as possible, by mid-2027.The Act requires providers to offer UK adult users features to filter out non verified users; this will help women and girls filter out anonymous abuse more effectively.The user identify verification requirements will allow users greater protection of their data identity and improves digital inclusion and accessibility.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the implementation of the user identity verification provisions in the Online Safety Act on the uptake of digital identity products and services.

Ofcom will be consulting on guidance for user identity verification required under the Online Safety Act, following the publication of the categorisation register. The consultation findings will be published as soon as possible, by mid-2027.The Act requires providers to offer UK adult users features to filter out non verified users; this will help women and girls filter out anonymous abuse more effectively.The user identify verification requirements will allow users greater protection of their data identity and improves digital inclusion and accessibility.

Whether AI companies under contract to the Armed Services could be legally required to operate a) fully autonomous lethal operations and b) mass surveillance.

Working with suppliers, Defence applies rigorous commercial procurement, assurance, and governance processes to procure and deploy cutting edge AI technology, in accordance with our legal obligations and our published Ethical Principles. Engagement with industry is conducted solely within agreed contractual arrangements; the Department does not compel companies outside of contracts. The Department explicitly rules out the development or use of autonomous capabilities which operate without context appropriate human involvement and conducts only lawful and proportionate surveillance.

How many Sudanese nationals with student visas claimed asylum in the UK in the last five years.

The Home Office publishes breakdowns of the number of people claiming asylum after entering the UK with a visa or other leave, by nationality and latest leave held prior to claim, for the top five nationalities in Asy_01e. This table does not currently include a full nationality breakdown. The total number of people claiming asylum after entering the UK on a visa or other leave is published in Asy_01d for Sudan.The Home Office does publish a full nationality breakdown of data on asylum claims and initial decisions, in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. The latest data relates to the year ending December 2025.A full Impact Assessment has been published for the Visa Brake policy; see Table 1 for historic volumes of asylum claims linked to visa for the relevant nationalities and routes in scope of the Brake.Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data. These reviews allow us to balance the production of our regular statistics whilst developing new statistics for future release.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of her recent decision on Sudanese student visas on the Chevening Scholarship programme.

The decision to introduce a visa brake on the Student visa route for Sudan and the other three nationalities was based on data-driven migration and border security considerations. While we recognise that most people who apply to study in the UK do so genuinely, the evidence is clear that the Student route for these nationalities has been a source of a high number and high proportion of visa-linked asylum claims. We have therefore acted to halt this unacceptable strain on our asylum system, and to ensure that the system remains fair, credible, and sustainable.This decision may be disappointing to nationals of these countries who wished to join the Chevening Scholarship programme. The visa brake was introduced on account of patterns of visa-linked asylum claims by nationality and we have no plans, at present, to provide exceptions for the Chevening Scholarship programme or any other scholarship programme.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Oxford Flood Alleviation scheme on the local area.

The Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme will better protect all properties currently at risk of flooding from the River Thames in Oxford. It will also reduce flood risk to the railway, local roads, utilities and services such as broadband which will help to keep Oxford open for business and support the tourist economy. The economic appraisal presents a very high value for money investment, delivering more than £1.8 billion in economic flood risk benefits over 100 years. The scheme has been designed to bring additional environmental benefits to the area beyond reduced flood risk. It has a nature-based design, creating a new stream and valuable wetland habitat, which will join up with existing wildlife sites. The Environment Agency recognises that there will be short term impacts on the local communities during construction, but it is working closely with the relevant stakeholders and its contractor to minimise disruption.