Written questions by Ribeiro-Addy.

Whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of people who will be impacted by the changes to the five-year settlement.

The Government's Immigration White Paper, published on 12 May 2025, announced new measures on a wide range of issues, including indefinite leave to remain.This will include an expansion of the Point-Based System which will increase the standard qualifying period for settlement to ten years. As part of this expansion, we will reform the current rules around settlement so that individuals must earn their right to a privileged immigration status in the UK through the long-term contribution they bring to our country.We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and will provide details of how the scheme will work after that, including on any transitional arrangements for people already in the UK.

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 April 2025 to Question 44272 on Public Order Act 2023, what her planned timetable is for the review process; and what methodology will be used.

Post legislative scrutiny will be undertaken in accordance with established parliamentary procedure, as set out here: Guide to making legislation - GOV.UK

With reference to the White Paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May 2025, whether refugees seeking to bring family to the UK will be subject to increased (a) financial and (b) English language requirements.

The Immigration White paper, published 12 May 2025, set out a wide range of reforms, including to family policy, further details of which will be set out in due course.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2025 to Question 50912 on Students: Loans, what comparative assessment she has made of the number of borrowers with increasing loan balances in (a) financial year 2024-25 and (b) previous financial years.

The number of borrowers whose loan balance has increased between the start and end of the financial year for the most recent four years is:2024/25: 2,409,2552023/24: 2,317,6672022/23: 1,805,4262021/22: 1,313,137 These figures cover Student Finance England loan borrowers only, whereas the previous number provided to Question 50912 included borrowers from all UK funding bodies. These numbers include all borrowers whose loan balance has increased, regardless of the number of payments they have made across the financial year, whereas Question 50912 included only borrowers who made at least four payments across the financial year. These figures cover Plan 2, 5 and 3 undergraduate and postgraduate loan borrowers funded by Student Finance England. For each of the financial years provided, the figure was generated by comparing borrowers’ loan balances between 1 April at the start of the financial year and 31 March at the end of the financial year. At the end of a borrower’s loan term, any outstanding loan balance, including interest built up, will be written off. This write-off is a government subsidy and a deliberate investment in our people and the economy.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of consulting on introducing a pilot humanitarian refugee visa for people fleeing (a) war and (b) persecution.

The Immigration White paper, published on 12 May 2025, announced new measures on a wide range of issues including refugee sponsorship and resettlement, further details of which will be set out in due course.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits expanding existing safe and legal routes.

The Immigration White paper, published on 12 May 2025, announced new measures on a wide range of issues including refugee sponsorship and resettlement, further details of which will be set out in due course.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2025 to Question 50912 on Students: Loans, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of persistent student loan debt on levels of social mobility among (a) graduates from disadvantaged backgrounds and (b) other graduates.

The system is designed to ensure that those who benefit financially from higher education contribute towards the cost of it. This is why repayments are linked to income and not the loan balance, with monthly repayments increasing with borrower income.Student loans are not like commercial loans, as they carry significant protections for borrowers. Those earning below the repayment threshold repay nothing, and at the end of the loan term, any outstanding debt is cancelled. This subsidy is a conscious investment in the skills capacity, people and economy of this country.Furthermore, student loan balances do not appear on borrower credit records.A full equality impact assessment of how student loan reforms may affect graduates, including detail on changes to average lifetime repayments under Plan 5, was produced and published in February 2022 under the previous government and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reform-equality-impact-assessment.

If she will consider the potential merits of establishing a safeguarding process to protect child refugees who are being mistakenly routed through the adult asylum system.

It is Home Office policy that an individual claiming to be a child will only be treated as an adult, if two Home Office members of staff independently determine that the individual's physical appearance and demeanour very strongly suggests they are significantly over 18 years of age. The lawfulness of this process was endorsed by the Supreme Court in the case of R (on the application of BF (Eritrea)) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2021] UKSC 38.Where there remains doubt about the individual’s age, they will be transferred to a local authority for further consideration of their age, usually in the form of a holistic social worker assessment of age, referred to as a ‘Merton’ age assessment.We continue to work with local authorities and our asylum accommodation providers to ensure appropriate processes for individuals claiming to be children. For example, we have already improved information sharing with local authorities so that we are more routinely sharing reports for initial decisions on age, when required, as well as reviewing the initial decisions on age training rolled out to Home Office staff at the Western Jet Foil in Kent. We are also exploring new methods of scientific and technological age assessment, including Facial Age Estimation.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) the age of refugee children is accurately assessed at the port of entry and (b) they are not inappropriately placed in adult (i) accommodation and (ii) detention settings.

It is Home Office policy that an individual claiming to be a child will only be treated as an adult, if two Home Office members of staff independently determine that the individual's physical appearance and demeanour very strongly suggests they are significantly over 18 years of age. The lawfulness of this process was endorsed by the Supreme Court in the case of R (on the application of BF (Eritrea)) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2021] UKSC 38.Where there remains doubt about the individual’s age, they will be transferred to a local authority for further consideration of their age, usually in the form of a holistic social worker assessment of age, referred to as a ‘Merton’ age assessment.We continue to work with local authorities and our asylum accommodation providers to ensure appropriate processes for individuals claiming to be children. For example, we have already improved information sharing with local authorities so that we are more routinely sharing reports for initial decisions on age, when required, as well as reviewing the initial decisions on age training rolled out to Home Office staff at the Western Jet Foil in Kent. We are also exploring new methods of scientific and technological age assessment, including Facial Age Estimation.

What steps he plans to take through (a) dietary guidelines, (b) public health policy and (c) food strategies to (i) promote and (ii) help improve public access to (A) whole and (B) minimally processed foods.

The Government is promoting access to healthy food through dietary guidelines which are presented to the public through the Government’s Eatwell Guide. The terms ‘whole’ and ‘minimally processed’ are not used because they are difficult to define and could be interpreted as including foods that we are advised to eat less often and/or in small amounts, such as butter. The Eatwell Guide already advises that people should eat more fruit and vegetables, and more wholegrain or higher-fibre foods, as well as less processed meat, and less food and drink that is high in sugar, calories, saturated fat, and salt.The Eatwell Guide principles are communicated through a variety of channels, including the NHS.UK website and Government social marketing campaigns. For example, the Better Health Healthier Families website and the Healthy Steps email programme, which aims to help families with primary aged children in England to eat well and move more.Policies to promote and improve public access to whole and minimally processed foods include:- the Healthy Start scheme, which supported over 361,000 people in April 2025;- the Nursery Milk Scheme, which provides a reimbursement to childcare providers in England and Wales for a daily 1/3 pint portion of milk to children and babies; and- the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme, which provides approximately 2.2 million children in Key Stage 1 with a portion of fresh fruit or vegetables per day at school.The Government has announced a new cross-Government Food Strategy. The Food Strategy aims to provide more easily accessible and affordable, safe, nutritious, healthy food to tackle diet-related ill health, helping to give children the best start in life and helping adults live longer, healthier lives.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2025 to Question 50912 on Students: Loans, what demographic data her Department holds on borrowers whose loan balances have increased.

Below is a table of the number of borrowers whose loan balance has increased between the start and end of the financial year 2024/25, broken down by age group and sex. This table covers Student Finance England loan borrowers only, whereas the previous number provided to Question 50912 included borrowers from all UK funding bodies.Age groupSex25 and under26 - 35 36 - 45 46 and overFemale279,484806,398235,59897,671Male204,496603,617132,56349,426 These figures cover Plan 2, 5 and 3 undergraduate and postgraduate loan borrowers funded by Student Finance England. It has been generated by comparing borrowers’ loan balances on 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025. These numbers include all borrowers whose loan balance has increased, regardless of the number of payments they have made across the financial year. There were a small number of borrowers (<5) for whom age and sex were unknown. These borrowers have been suppressed. At the end of a borrower’s loan term, any outstanding loan balance, including interest built up, will be written off. This write-off, a government subsidy, is a deliberate investment in our people and the economy.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the National Police Chiefs’ Council's guidance entitled Practice Advice on Child Death Investigation, published in February 2025, on (a) bereaved families and (b) trust in maternity services.

Guidance to support operational policing in discharging their duties is a matter for the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Government of Tanzania on the arrest and prosecution of opposition political leaders on charges of treason.

Our High Commission in Dar es Salaam regularly discusses issues of governance with the Government of Tanzania and has raised the case of opposition leader Tundu Lissu at senior levels. The Government supports due process and the rule of law in all legal cases.During his visit to Tanzania this February, the Minister for Africa discussed Tanzania's political environment in his engagements with ministerial counterparts.

Pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2025 to Question 33072 on Stem Cell: Donors, if he will make it his policy to help develop a (a) sustainable and (b) resilient supply of stem cells from UK based donors; and whether he will commission an independent review of the (i) supply and (ii) use of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Between 2022 and 2025, the Department’s Stem Cell Programme has provided £2.4 million of funding to Anthony Nolan and NHS Blood and Transplant for a three-year targeted stem cell donor recruitment campaign. The approach has focused on increasing the sustainability and resilience of the United Kingdom’s stem cell supply by recruiting donors most likely to donate, those being male donors aged 16 to 30 years old, and addressing health inequalities, with targeted campaigns to recruit donors from ethnic minorities. Funding to both organisations has been extended by one year, to 2025/26.The Department recognises the need to ensure stem cell supply and use for transplantation is optimised. However, there are no imminent plans to undertake an independent review.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of recent political arrests in Tanzania on (a) the rule of law and (b) judicial independence in that country.

Globally, the UK continuously keeps the security and justice situation in partner countries under review through the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance process.Representatives of our High Commission in Dar es Salaam are attending the trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu as observers. Our High Commission has raised recent arrests of political leaders with the Government of Tanzania and has called for due process to be followed accordingly.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the safety of non-governmental organisations and journalists operating in Tanzania.

The UK is committed to defending civic space and fundamental freedoms. Our High Commission regularly engages with non-governmental organisations and journalists in Tanzania. The Minister for Africa will continue to raise specific concerns with his ministerial counterparts.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to raise the reported deportation of legal observers and human rights defenders from Tanzania with the Tanzanian authorities.

We are concerned by the reported treatment of activists seeking to observe the trial of Tundu Lissu. Our High Commission in Dar es Salaam has raised the cases of Boniface Mwangi and Agather Atuhaire with the Government of Tanzania.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking with Arctic nations to (a) monitor and (b) help tackle potential (i) security and (ii) environmental challenges from Arctic warming.

On his recent visit to Norway and Iceland, the Foreign Secretary saw first-hand how the Arctic has a direct bearing on the security and resilience of the UK. We are working with allies to better monitor and tackle growing threats in the Arctic including by enhancing patrols and studying the impacts of climate change. The Foreign Secretary announced new funding to use cutting edge AI technology to monitor hostile activity, and to support UK scientific collaboration in the region, while underlining the UK's commitment to the Arctic Council as the leading intergovernmental forum for Arctic cooperation.I set out the UK's approach to the Arctic during my visit and speech to the Arctic Circle Assembly on 18 October 2024 and have established a new cross-Whitehall Polar Ministerial Group to support the development and implementation of a robust and coordinated UK policy in the Polar Regions, particularly concerning the Arctic.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2025 to Question 50209 on British Nationality: Children, what the reason was of the increase in administrative cost for child citizenship applications since 2021-22.

The published administrative cost of processing immigration and nationality applications reflects the full financial cost of providing the relevant service which includes direct costs, relevant local and central overheads, (e.g. accommodation, HR, Finance and IT), depreciation, cost of capital employed, and other factors that are in connection to immigration and nationality. The Home Office keeps the cost of processing applications under review and where costs associated with processing applications change, published fee tables will be updated accordingly.The cost base that is apportioned to setting the unit cost has increased year on year. This is due to factors such as inflation.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has raised concerns with the Tanzanian Government on the denial of consular access to foreign nationals detained in Tanzania.

Our High Commissioner in Dar es Salaam has raised concerns with senior officials of the Government of Tanzania regarding consular access for foreign national activists recently deported from Tanzania.