Written questions by Smart.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 57756 on Asylum: Housing, what her planned timetable is for evaluating the impact of interim measures.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave her on 13 June to Question 57756.

When the temporary policy of extending the move on period for newly recognized refugees to 56 days will end.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave her on 13 June to Question 57756.

Whether her department has made an assessment of the potential merits of mandatory minimum expiry dates on refund vouchers issued by airlines.

Regulation 261/2004 sets out passengers' rights in the event of certain flight disruptions, including rights to refunds and compensation. The Regulation states that refunds or compensation must be offered as payment in cash, by bank transfer, or by cheque. Airlines may only provide vouchers with the explicit and signed agreement of the passenger. No assessment has been made regarding the potential merits of mandatory expiry dates on refund vouchers issued by airlines.

Whether his Department has plans to extend consumer rights to cash refunds following a customer complaint.

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 has provisions for consumers to be able to obtain refunds where a product is not as described or fit for the declared purpose. In addition, consumers can seek redress where a trader has breached obligations under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. The government has no plans to add cash refunds for general complaints to these rights at present.

What steps his Department has taken to support medical students with the cost of living.

For the 2025 to 2026 academic year, the Government will increase the NHS Bursary tuition fee contributions, maintenance grants, and all allowances by 3.1%. This is the second consecutive year the Government has increased support for medical students through the NHS Bursary. Prior to this, the maintenance grants had not been uplifted since 2015.The Government has also announced that maximum loans for living costs from Student Finance England, including reduced rate non-means tested loans for students in NHS Bursary years, will increase by 3.1%.The NHS Bursary scheme is reviewed annually at the start of each academic year. At all times the Government must balance the level of support students receive with the need to deliver as much value as possible from taxpayers’ money.

Whether his Department plans to review funding available to medical students under the NHS Bursary.

For the 2025 to 2026 academic year, the Government will increase the NHS Bursary tuition fee contributions, maintenance grants, and all allowances by 3.1%. This is the second consecutive year the Government has increased support for medical students through the NHS Bursary. Prior to this, the maintenance grants had not been uplifted since 2015.The Government has also announced that maximum loans for living costs from Student Finance England, including reduced rate non-means tested loans for students in NHS Bursary years, will increase by 3.1%.The NHS Bursary scheme is reviewed annually at the start of each academic year. At all times the Government must balance the level of support students receive with the need to deliver as much value as possible from taxpayers’ money.

What steps her Department has taken to support medical students with the cost of living.

I refer the hon. Member for Hazel Grove to the answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54621.

Whether her Department plans to extend the move on period for newly recognised refugees to 56 days beyond June 2025.

In December, the Home Office operationalised a pilot to extend the grace period to 56 days to support local authorities during a period of increased asylum decision making and with the transition to eVisas. It is important that we take the necessary time to evaluate the impact of the interim measures, including overall net costs to taxpayers, before making a decision on whether to make the measures permanent.

Whether the forthcoming consultation on the implementation of the White Paper entitled Restoring Control over the Immigration System, published on 12 May 2025, will include consultation on the potential impact of changes to English language proficiency requirements on people applying for refugee family reunion.

The Home Office regularly engages with a wide range of experts and stakeholders when developing policy or consulting on proposals.

What steps her Department is taking to consult charities on the implementation of the policies in the White Paper entitled Restoring Control over the Immigration System, published on 12 May 2025.

The Immigration White Paper, published 12 May, set out a wide range of reforms, including to student visas, further details of which will be set out in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to prevent local authorities from moving agency contractors onto fixed term contracts.

Local authorities are independent employers responsible for the management of their own workforces, including the terms and conditions offered to contractors. Ministers have little remit to intervene in employment issues within local authorities, except where specific provision has been made in legislation.

What steps her Department has taken to consult people with prior experience of applying for refugee family reunion in the forthcoming consultation on the implementation of the White Paper entitled Restoring Control over the Immigration System, published on 12 May 2025.

The Home Office regularly engages with a wide range of experts and stakeholders when developing policy or consulting on proposals.

When she plans to set out a timeline for the consultation to inform the delivery of the White Paper entitled Restoring Control over the Immigration System, published on 12 May 2025.

The Immigration White Paper, published 12 May, set out a wide range of reforms, including to student visas, further details of which will be set out in due course.

How many local companies who joined the Crown Commercial Services for Solar for Schools Tenders in November have been offered contracts.

Solar for Schools is a Department for Education initiative. Schools have a variety of available routes to market to procure their solar energy solution requirements. The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) is not aware of any contracts awarded through its frameworks specifically for the Solar for Schools scheme.The CCS Demand Management and Renewables Framework provides central government and the wider public sector with a range of decarbonisation products and services to support their carbon net zero strategy. During 24/25 customers utilised this commercial route to market - which has 41 suppliers, including 6 SMEs, allocated across the UK - to procure over £48m of projects ranging from Solar PV, Heat Pump installations and various other decarbonisation initiatives.

If he will provide a response to Early Day Motion 1076 on Stepping Hill Hospital, tabled on 8 April 2025.

The Government inherited a crumbling National Health Service estate after years of historic underinvestment and neglect. We recognise that hospitals across the country, including Stepping Hill, have challenging and poor-quality infrastructure, and that is why repairing and rebuilding our hospitals is a key part of our ambition to create a health service that is fit for the future.It will take time, but we are beginning to rebuild the health service. The £750 million Estates Safety Fund for 2025/26 is an essential first step towards addressing the poorest quality estates across the NHS and ensuring a safe, sustainable environment for healthcare delivery. The Stockport NHS Foundation Trust will be issued £2.8 million from this fund to deliver vital safety improvements, enhance patient and staff environments, and support NHS productivity at Stepping Hill Hospital.This investment is in addition to the operational capital the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board will receive in 2025/26, to allocate to local priorities, including investment at Stepping Hill Hospital, and capital investment to support constitutional standards recovery.The current Spending Review, concluding in June 2025, will determine capital funding levels for future years and will consider the needs of the NHS estate.

If she will publish a response to Early Day Motion 1000, published on 24 March 2025, on ensuring stability for Ukrainian refugees in the UK.

We recognise the Ukrainian government’s desire for the future return of its citizens to Ukraine. It is important our approach respects these wishes.This is why the temporary sanctuary Ukraine Visa Schemes do not lead to settlement in the UK. Similarly, time spent in the UK with permission granted under the Ukraine Schemes cannot be relied upon towards the continuous qualifying period for the purposes of a Long Residence application.There are other routes available for those who wish to settle in the UK permanently, if they meet the requirements.The Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme, which opened to applications on 4 February 2025, will provide up to an additional 18 months’ permission to stay in the UK for those with existing Ukraine Scheme permission.The Scheme is free to apply to. Most applicants who hold a Biometric Residence Permit may be able to reuse previously submitted biometrics (fingerprint and photograph) and may not need to attend a UK Visas and Citizenship Application (UKVCAS) service point.The vast majority of applications are concluded well in advance of the Customer Service Standard, and the Home Office are confident in their ability to continue delivering this scheme at pace.

If she will provide a response to Early Day Motion 1222 on Speed camera guidance, tabled on 8 May 2025.

The Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. Responsibility for making decisions about the roads under its care rests with the traffic authority, based on its knowledge of the area and taking into account local needs and circumstances.  This includes setting local speed limits and introducing traffic calming measures such as speed cameras and speed activated warning signs. The Department for Transport’s guidance on the Use of Speed and Red Light Cameras for Traffic Enforcement clearly recommends that locally agreed deployment criteria are developed. The guidance acknowledges that the primary objective of camera deployment is to reduce KSIs at known collision locations; however, it also states that cameras can be beneficial where there is community concern.

Innovation and Technology, whether he has made a comparative assessment of the proportion of work that broadband providers have been able to carry out by laying (a) ducting and (b) overhead cables.

The Government does not undertake formal assessments of the delivery methods employed by broadband operators. Where and how operators deploy their networks is a commercial matter.Existing regulations require operators to use underground lines where reasonably practicable, with certain exceptions.In its Connected Nations 2024 report, Ofcom states that “providers have ordered around 176,000 km of duct routes (101,000 km of which has been delivered) and approximately 1.2 million attachments to poles (750,000 of which have been delivered) to deploy networks.”

Communities and Local Government, what data her Department holds on the number of times that maintenance payments have resulted in people moving out of affordable housing.

The government recognise the considerable financial strain that rising services charges are placing on leaseholders and tenants of social housing.The level of service charge that leaseholders and tenants pay depends on many factors and what those service charges cover will be set out in the terms of the lease and the tenancy agreement.For tenants, service charges typically cover services, with the costs of repairs and maintenance paid for through the rental income social housing providers receive. Government regulates the maximum rent that Registered Providers of social housing can charge for their Social Rent and Affordable Rent homes.By law, variable service charges must be reasonable. Should leaseholders and tenants of private registered providers of social housing wish to contest the reasonableness of their service charges, they may make an application to the appropriate tribunal.The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 includes measures designed to drive up the transparency of service charges to make them more easily challengeable if leaseholders consider them to be unreasonable. Once commenced, these will ensure all leaseholders receive minimum key financial and non-financial information on a regular basis, including introducing a standardised service charge demand form and an annual report.The government is committed to acting quickly to implement the provisions of the Act. Further detail can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement made on Thursday 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).My Department does not collect data on the number of times that maintenance payments have resulted in people moving out of affordable housing. However, it does collect data on the number of households evicted from local authority owned dwellings due to rent arrears, anti-social behaviour, both or neither (information can be found at MHCLG Live Table 603 here). Furthermore, the Regulator of Social Housing collects data on the number of households evicted by private registered providers of social housing due to rent arrears, anti-social behaviour, both or neither (information can be found in additional Table 3.12 on gov.uk here.Social housing tenants and shared owners struggling with rent and service charge costs may be able to receive support through Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit.Under the new model lease, shared owners benefit from a 10 year ‘Initial Repair Period’ where their landlord contributes towards essential repairs. This does not cover service charges but does protect shared owners from unexpected repair costs.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of maintenance payments can on the ability of residents to continue living in homes in affordable housing schemes.

The government recognise the considerable financial strain that rising services charges are placing on leaseholders and tenants of social housing.The level of service charge that leaseholders and tenants pay depends on many factors and what those service charges cover will be set out in the terms of the lease and the tenancy agreement.For tenants, service charges typically cover services, with the costs of repairs and maintenance paid for through the rental income social housing providers receive. Government regulates the maximum rent that Registered Providers of social housing can charge for their Social Rent and Affordable Rent homes.By law, variable service charges must be reasonable. Should leaseholders and tenants of private registered providers of social housing wish to contest the reasonableness of their service charges, they may make an application to the appropriate tribunal.The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 includes measures designed to drive up the transparency of service charges to make them more easily challengeable if leaseholders consider them to be unreasonable. Once commenced, these will ensure all leaseholders receive minimum key financial and non-financial information on a regular basis, including introducing a standardised service charge demand form and an annual report.The government is committed to acting quickly to implement the provisions of the Act. Further detail can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement made on Thursday 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).My Department does not collect data on the number of times that maintenance payments have resulted in people moving out of affordable housing. However, it does collect data on the number of households evicted from local authority owned dwellings due to rent arrears, anti-social behaviour, both or neither (information can be found at MHCLG Live Table 603 here). Furthermore, the Regulator of Social Housing collects data on the number of households evicted by private registered providers of social housing due to rent arrears, anti-social behaviour, both or neither (information can be found in additional Table 3.12 on gov.uk here.Social housing tenants and shared owners struggling with rent and service charge costs may be able to receive support through Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit.Under the new model lease, shared owners benefit from a 10 year ‘Initial Repair Period’ where their landlord contributes towards essential repairs. This does not cover service charges but does protect shared owners from unexpected repair costs.