Written questions by McMurdock.

What proportion of children in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency do not have English as their first language.

A pupil is recorded to have English as an additional language if they are exposed to a language at home that is known or believed to be other than English. This measure is not a measure of English language proficiency nor a good proxy for recent immigration.The number and proportion of children in school that do not have English as a first language, as well as other characteristics, is available in the following publication: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.The number and proportion of pupils that do not have English as a first language can be calculated by clicking the link above and downloading the file ‘School level underlying data - 2023/24 (csv, 22 Mb)’ under ‘additional supporting files’. Parliamentary constituency can be filtered, as can the number and proportion of pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English. Additionally, other school level characteristics can be found in the underlining data file.Parliamentary constituencies are based on their boundaries at the time of the January school census each year. Therefore, the 2024 parliamentary boundaries do not reflect the changes made in the summer of 2024.Where statistics were published prior to the changes in parliamentary constituency boundaries, they will be updated to reflect the new boundaries in the next publication of statistics. This is expected to be in June 2025 for the 'Schools, pupils and their characteristics' publication.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department uses animal welfare in recipient countries as a criteria for determining aid development policies.

The Prime Minister is resetting Britain's approach to climate and nature, putting it at the centre of the UK's missions. Action on the climate and nature crisis will be central to the FCDO's priorities. There is no pathway to countries' development aspirations without climate resilience, action on the nature crisis and access to clean energy, and no pathway to a sustainable future without development that leaves no one behind.This government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. That is exactly what it will do, and relevant departments will be outlining more detail in due course.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Royal Navy's escort fleet capabilities.

The Royal Navy’s escort fleet, comprising Type 23 Frigates and Type 45 Destroyers, is a credible force calibrated to meet individual and multinational Defence outputs effectively. These vessels remain poised to defend the Fleet against complex threats and are central to the UKs Carrier Strike Capability, as witnessed in Carrier Strike Group 21. The importance of the escort fleet will be further illustrated in Carrier Strike Group 25 next year, which will involve deployment to the Indo-Pacific. The introduction of Type 26 and 31 Frigates in the coming years demonstrates the Royal Navy’s commitment to the modernisation of our escort fleet.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of work to reintegrate prisoners released via the early release scheme.

The government inherited a prisons system in crisis and was forced to change the release point for standard determinate sentences in order to avert disaster and total gridlock of the criminal justice system.Once released, offenders are subject to the same set of strict licence conditions that would apply had they been released at a 50% automatic release point, and are liable to recall to prison if they do not comply with these conditions or are judged by probation practitioners to be a risk to public safety.There is robust and varied support available informed by an assessment of individual needs, to ensure effective resettlement into the community. This includes Prison Employment Leads, Employment Hubs, ID and Banking Administrators and Employment Advisory Boards in every resettlement prison.

Whether her Department has made a comparative assessment of financial support available to (a) kinship and (b) foster carers.

Statutory guidance issued to local authorities makes it clear that children and young people should receive the support that they and their carers need to safeguard and promote their welfare.As local authorities know their carers best, they have the power to decide what financial support should be provided to carers and their children and any payments should be made in accordance with their model for assessing support needs. The government does not set a maximum or minimum allowance for local authorities to administer. However, the kinship care statutory guidance, published in October 2024. states that in its calculation of any ongoing special guardianship financial support, the local authority should have regard to the fostering allowance that would have been paid if the child was fostered.Broadly speaking, no foster carer should be financially disadvantaged because of their fostering role. The government expects that all foster parents receive at least the weekly National Minimum Allowance (NMA), in addition to any agreed expenses to cover the full cost of caring for each child placed with them. More information is set out in the National Minimum Standards (NMS) Standard 28, which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7abe16e5274a319e77a6a1/NMS_Fostering_Services.pdf.The department has raised the NMA for foster carers above inflation for two consecutive years. In 2024/25, we increased the NMA by 6.88%, following an increase of 12.43% in 2023/24. The new allowance amounts for 2024/25 can be found at https://www.gov.uk/support-for-foster-parents/help-with-the-cost-of-fostering.Fostering service providers can choose to pay above the minimum allowance or pay additional fees. However, there is no requirement to pay fees beyond the minimum allowance.The government is committed to supporting children in care through kinship and foster care.At the Autumn Budget 2024, the government announced £40 million to trial a new kinship allowance in up to 10 local authorities. We will test whether paying an allowance to cover certain costs, like supporting a child to settle into a new home with relatives, can help increase the number of children taken in by family members and friends.The department is also investing £15 million to boost the number of foster carers next year, to generate hundreds of new foster placements and offer children a stable environment to grow up in. This will help recruit more foster parents by ensuring that every local authority has access to a regional recruitment hub. These hubs help raise awareness about fostering and offer prospective carers a centralised platform to find information, ask questions and get support from the start of their fostering journey.

What steps her Department is taking to stop illegal delivery drivers working for food delivery companies.

The Home Office is determined to clamp down on illegal working, including in the gig economy. It is already a criminal offence to work illegally in the UK, and a person’s permission to stay can also be cancelled. The Home Office and the Department for Business and Trade continue to work closely with the main food delivery platforms to ensure they understand their responsibilities in using riders who have the right to work in the UK. Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat have already introduced – or have confirmed they will soon introduce – right to work checks on registered substitutes to prevent illegal drivers working for their companies.

What discussions her Department has had with major food delivery companies on steps to tackle the employment of illegal workers.

The Home Office is determined to clamp down on illegal working, including in the gig economy. It is already a criminal offence to work illegally in the UK, and a person’s permission to stay can also be cancelled. The Home Office and the Department for Business and Trade continue to work closely with the main food delivery platforms to ensure they understand their responsibilities in using riders who have the right to work in the UK. Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat have already introduced – or have confirmed they will soon introduce – right to work checks on registered substitutes to prevent illegal drivers working for their companies.

What steps her Department is taking to tackle cash-for-crash moped scams.

Cash-for-crash scams impact consumers by increasing the price of insurance premiums and putting innocent lives at risk.The government is committed to tackling this threat and has worked in collaboration with the UK insurance sector to publish an insurance fraud charter. This is a voluntary agreement which aims to raise the visibility of insurance fraud, improve victim support and better detect and prevent scams, such as crash-for cash.Actions within the charter include:Working with the National Crime Agency’s National Assessment Centre to carry out a review into the role of professional enablers in the insurance.Identify policies being exploited by ‘illegal insurance intermediaries’.Strengthen data security measures to stop insurance fraudsters using customer details to target people.Review the tactics and websites being used by fraudsters to promote bogus insurance offers.

If she will make an estimate of the numbers of delivery drivers working illegally in the UK.

The Home Office is not able to make an estimate of the number of delivery drivers working illegally in the UK due to the difficulty in estimating the exact size of the irregular population. No government has produced any official estimates since 2005. As described in joint work between the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Home Office, the definition and coverage of the irregular population is complex.

What steps his Department is taking to increase manufacturing jobs in (a) Essex and (b) nationally.

Essex has a vibrant manufacturing sector and Basildon is home to many key businesses including Ford, Leonardo and New Holland. The strength of the Essex economy means that it is home to two freeports including the Thames Freeport in the Right Honourable member’s constituency.Our new Industrial Strategy is central to the Governments Growth Mission. The Strategy will drive long-term sustainable, inclusive and secure growth throughout the UK, with advanced manufacturing being one of eight growth-driving sectors the strategy will support. The Strategy will support growth sectors to create high-quality, well-paid jobs across the country.

What assessment she has made of the impact of increasing employers' national insurance contributions on businesses in Essex.

Estimates of the impact on businesses in Essex from changes to Employer NICs announced at Autumn Budget 2024 are not available.

What steps her Department is taking to promote awareness of the (a) Commonwealth of Nations, (b) Monarchy and (c) Commonwealth realms in (i) schools in England.

The national curriculum for citizenship includes content on local, regional and international governance, as well as the UK’s relations with the rest of Europe, the Commonwealth, the United Nations and the wider world.Citizenship also covers the development of the political system of democratic government in the UK, including the roles of citizens, Parliament and the Monarch. There is also scope within the history curriculum for pupils to be taught about these topics across key stages 1 to 3, as well as within geography, where appropriate.

Whether she has had recent discussions with her French counterpart on preventing small boats from crossing the Channel by intercepting them mid-journey.

The Home Secretary is in regular contact with her new French counterpart, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, to discuss ongoing cooperation to stop small boat crossings. They met for the first time on 3rd October at the G7 in Italy.

Whether he has had recent discussions with his US counterpart on a free trade agreement.

Ministers and officials regularly engage with their US counterparts to discuss ways to strengthen the UK-US trading relationship, already worth £304 billion. The Secretary of State met US Trade Representative Katherine Tai at the G20 Summit in October where they discussed deepening UK-US collaboration.

What steps her Department is taking to increase digital learning opportunities across (a) schools and (b) colleges.

The department is taking action to increase digital learning opportunities in schools and colleges. To do this effectively requires ensuring that students have the right digital and computing skills.To help break down barriers to opportunity, this government will deliver a curriculum which is rich and broad, inclusive and innovative, and ensures that all young people get the opportunity to learn digital skills as part of their education. To meet this ambition, the government announced an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review on 19 July, that is being chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review Group has launched a call for evidence, which sets out key questions and themes where it would particularly welcome input.Information about how to respond to the call for evidence, or to register to join a live event, is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/curriculum-and-assessment-review. The call for evidence is open until 22 November 2024, and the review will publish its recommendations in 2025. Ministers will then consider any changes to curriculum and qualifications in the light of these recommendations.This government has also announced the creation of Skills England, which will transform the skills system to make it truly world leading. It will help to build a high skill, high productivity workforce that is matched to employers’ needs and ensures that everyone, regardless of their background, can access the opportunities they need to thrive. It is a new body that will tackle skills shortages, including digital skills, and support sustained economic growth.Technology is not a catchall solution to educational challenges and its use in the classroom should be informed by evidence and best practice. The department is working to establish a strong evidence base for the effective use of technology and will embed this evidence across our world class education system, so that it is easy for schools, colleges and families to use the best products at the right time. The department funded the Education Endowment Foundation, an independent charity, with £137 million to encourage innovative and effective evidence based teaching, including using technology.The department has published digital and technology standards to help schools and colleges make more informed decisions about technology leading to safer, more cost efficient practices and new learning opportunities for students. To support schools to meet these standards, the department has invested in connectivity infrastructure and developed a digital support service.The department has worked with commercial providers and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to fund gigabit capable broadband rollout to over 1,500 schools. We have also invested over £200 million in its Connect the Classroom programme, improving Wi-Fi connectivity for over one million pupils in over 3,100 schools.The department is also committed to using assistive technology (AT) to support inclusive digital learning. AT can break down barriers to opportunity for students with special educational needs or disabilities and the department is broadening the effective use of AT through research, training and guidance.

What steps he is taking to help ensure value for money in (a) medicines and (b) medical supplies in the NHS.

Processes are in place to ensure that new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources before they are routinely funded by the National Health Service in England. New licensed medicines are evaluated by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which makes recommendations for the NHS on whether they should be routinely funded based on an assessment of their costs and benefits. The NICE aims, wherever possible, to issue its recommendations close to the point of licensing, and the NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by the NICE, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance.Furthermore, the United Kingdom has had controlled spend on branded medicines through a series of voluntary agreements since 1957. The new Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access, and Growth is expected to generate the NHS approximately £14 billion in savings over five years in medicines expenditure that can be made available to provide the best possible treatment and care for NHS patients, grow the workforce, and cut waiting lists.Regarding value for money in medical supplies for the NHS, the sourcing, delivery, and supply of healthcare products is managed by NHS Supply Chain. Their aim is to leverage the collective buying power of the NHS to drive savings and provide a standardised range of clinically assured, quality products at the best value. The Department is committed to realising the full potential of NHS Supply Chain to deliver greater savings and efficiencies alongside a broader value proposition focussing on supply chain resilience, product safety, enabling access to innovation, social value, sustainability, and ethical considerations. NHS Supply Chain is continuing to work together with the Department, NHS England, NHS trusts, suppliers, and other system partners across the country to improve procurement in the NHS. This will be achieved through ongoing collaboration, partnership working, and innovation.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to support family-owned farms with rising business costs.

Defra’s farming budget will be £2.4 billion in 2025/26. This will include the largest ever budget directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our country’s history: £1.8 billion for Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes. This funding will deliver improvements to food security, biodiversity, carbon emissions, water quality, air quality and flood resilience. ELM schemes will remain at the centre of our offer for family-owned farms and other farmers, with the Sustainable Farming Incentive, Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier and Landscape Recovery all continuing. These offer funding streams for farmers to make their businesses more sustainable and resilient, including those who have been often ignored such as small, grassland, upland and tenant farmers. We will work with the sector to continue to roll out, improve and evolve these schemes, to make them work for farming and nature. This support forms part of the Government's New Deal for Farmers. The Government is also supporting family-owned farms and other farmers by protecting them from being undercut by low welfare and low standards in trade deals, by lowering energy bills for farmers by switching on GB Energy, and by using the Government’s own purchasing power to back British produce so that 50% of food brought in hospitals, army bases and prisons is locally produced or certified to high environmental standards.

If he will meet the hon. Member for South Basildon and East Thurrock to discuss pylons.

The design and development of electricity transmission infrastructure is the responsibility of developers. Government sets the rules for a robust and independent planning process that communities can participate in. Given the Secretary of State’s role in determining consent for Nationally Significant Infrastructure projects, it would not be appropriate for the Secretary of State to discuss any specific projects, so as not to prejudice this process.

How many people have (a) applied for and (b) received a Veterans' ID Card in (a) South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency and (b) Essex.

From December 2018, all Service leavers are automatically issued a Veterans Card on discharge (Phase 1). For those who left service prior to then, applications must be submitted (Phase 2). The below table details the number of veterans cards issued as of October 2024; the latest data available. AreaPhase 1 - IssuedPhase 2 - AppliedPhase 2 - IssuedSouth Basildon and East Thurrock108350347Essex134035353479

How many and what proportion of foreign national offenders have successfully appealed a deportation order under Article (a) 3, (b) 6 and (c) 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, in each year since 2014.

The Home Office publishes data on returns of foreign national offenders (FNOs) in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly release’. Data on total returns of FNOs by nationality can be found in table Ret_D03 of the ‘returns detailed datasets’, with the latest data going up to the end of June 2024. Figures on FNO returns are not broken down by return type, and include enforced returns, voluntary returns and a small number of FNOs refused entry at port and subsequently returned.Deportations are a specific subset of total FNO returns which are enforced either following a criminal conviction or when it is judged that a person’s removal from the UK is conducive to the public good. The deportation order prohibits the person returning to the UK until such time as it may be revoked.The Home Office does not regularly publish information about FNO appeals. However, in February 2022 an ad-hoc transparency piece on FNO lodged and allowed appeals, covering the period 2008 to 2021, was released. This provides numbers of FNO appeals lodged, and the numbers of those which are subsequently allowed, and of those how many were allowed on human rights grounds only, broken down by financial year of the appeal lodged date.Data on the number of individuals arriving in the UK by small boat broken down by sex is published in table Irr_D01 of the ‘Irregular migration detailed datasets’. This release covers the period 2018 to June 2024.