Written questions by Barker.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of maintaining thresholds for repayment of student loans between 2027-28 and 2029-30 for Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and 2023 on fair access to higher education for women students.

Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements.Lower earning graduates remain protected by this change. Graduates only begin repaying once their earnings exceed the threshold, paying 9% of income above that level. As repayments remain income-contingent if a borrower’s salary remains the same, their monthly repayments will also stay the same.The department has produced the attached analysis regarding the lifetime impact of freezing the repayment and interest thresholds.The department will release an equalities impact assessment, including the impact on lifetime repayments, alongside other borrower impacts for the Plan 2 repayment threshold and interest threshold freeze announced at the Autumn Budget. Published results may differ from those provided due to model and data updates.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of maintaining thresholds for repayment of student loans between 2027-28 and 2029-30 for Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and 2023 on fair access to higher education for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements.Lower earning graduates remain protected by this change. Graduates only begin repaying once their earnings exceed the threshold, paying 9% of income above that level. As repayments remain income-contingent if a borrower’s salary remains the same, their monthly repayments will also stay the same.The department has produced the attached analysis regarding the lifetime impact of freezing the repayment and interest thresholds.The department will release an equalities impact assessment, including the impact on lifetime repayments, alongside other borrower impacts for the Plan 2 repayment threshold and interest threshold freeze announced at the Autumn Budget. Published results may differ from those provided due to model and data updates.

What is her Department’s estimate of the (a) average level of student loan debt of Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and 2023 and (b) average level of student loan debt of Plan 2 students at the point that the freeze in repayment thresholds is planned to end in 2029-2030 for which the latest data is available.

The current mean average level of student loan balance of Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and 2023 to the nearest £100, as of 9 February, is £52,100 for England domiciled borrowers.We do not hold a forecast for this average balance in 2029/30 on a consistent basis to the above figure provided by the Student Loans Company (SLC), as we forecast loan balances at the course level rather than borrower level, so cannot calculate the average balance by borrower.The total level of student loan balances of Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and 2023 is £213 billion (to the nearest billion, as of 31 March 2025), for England and EU domiciled borrowers, as published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-loans-in-england-2024-to-2025/student-loans-in-england-financial-year-2024-25.Our modelled forecast of estimated total loan balance at the end of 2029/30 is £249 billion (rounded to the nearest billion, estimate for 1 April 2030), as published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/student-loan-forecasts-for-england/2024-25#explore-data-and-files.The 2029/30 total loan balance figure is forecasted and not certain. More details on the methodology are here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/student-loan-forecasts-for-england.

Communities and Local Government, if his Department will take steps to review the national definition of rough sleeping to help ensure it reflects the different ways women experience homelessness.

The government recognises that women experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping have different experiences and needs to men.In November 2025 the government published the Rough Sleeping Questionnaire deep dive on women’s homelessness. This can be found on gov.uk here. This report was published alongside new data on gender collected as part of the Rough Sleeping Monthly Management Information to capture the gender of those sleeping rough over the course of a month, rather than on a single night. This data can be found on gov.uk here.Our National Plan to End Homelessness makes clear that councils should adopt a person-centred approach to prevent rough sleeping and consider the specific needs and barriers that some groups, including women, may face in accessing services. To help councils identify those most at risk of long-term rough sleeping, and who need an accommodation-based intervention, we are currently piloting an Ending Rough Sleeping Risk Assessment Tool which takes account of the experiences of women. Our Outreach toolkit will include advice on identifying and engaging women sleeping rough.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has had discussions with local authorities on levels of female homelessness.

The government recognises that women experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping have different experiences and needs to men.In November 2025 the government published the Rough Sleeping Questionnaire deep dive on women’s homelessness. This can be found on gov.uk here. This report was published alongside new data on gender collected as part of the Rough Sleeping Monthly Management Information to capture the gender of those sleeping rough over the course of a month, rather than on a single night. This data can be found on gov.uk here.Our National Plan to End Homelessness makes clear that councils should adopt a person-centred approach to prevent rough sleeping and consider the specific needs and barriers that some groups, including women, may face in accessing services. To help councils identify those most at risk of long-term rough sleeping, and who need an accommodation-based intervention, we are currently piloting an Ending Rough Sleeping Risk Assessment Tool which takes account of the experiences of women. Our Outreach toolkit will include advice on identifying and engaging women sleeping rough.

Communities and Local Government, what work his Department is doing to help improve data collection on the number of women rough sleeping and to adopt a gender-informed methodology for measuring rough sleeping.

The government recognises that women experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping have different experiences and needs to men.In November 2025 the government published the Rough Sleeping Questionnaire deep dive on women’s homelessness. This can be found on gov.uk here. This report was published alongside new data on gender collected as part of the Rough Sleeping Monthly Management Information to capture the gender of those sleeping rough over the course of a month, rather than on a single night. This data can be found on gov.uk here.Our National Plan to End Homelessness makes clear that councils should adopt a person-centred approach to prevent rough sleeping and consider the specific needs and barriers that some groups, including women, may face in accessing services. To help councils identify those most at risk of long-term rough sleeping, and who need an accommodation-based intervention, we are currently piloting an Ending Rough Sleeping Risk Assessment Tool which takes account of the experiences of women. Our Outreach toolkit will include advice on identifying and engaging women sleeping rough.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of making UK AISI / Thorn's guidance, Recommended Practice for AI-G CSEA Prevention, published in December 2025, mandatory for all AI developers to prevent the creation of AI-generated child sexual abuse material.

The Government recognises the importance of tackling AI-generated CSAM. Creating, possessing, or distributing CSAM, including AI Generated CSAM, is illegal. The Online Safety Act requires services to proactively identify and remove this content. We are taking further action in the Crime and Policing Bill to criminalise CSAM image generators, and to ensure AI developers can directly test for and address vulnerabilities in their models which enable the production of CSAM.The AISI / Thorn joint publication guidance (Recommended Practice for AI-G CSEA Prevention) sets out practical steps that AI developers, model hosting services and others in the AI ecosystem can take to reduce the risk that their systems are misused to generate CSAM. This guidance is informed by input from industry and child protection organisations, and many of the world’s leading AI developers (including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Meta) have signed up to the principles of earlier forms of this guidance.The Government is clear: no option is off the table when it comes to protecting the online safety of users in the UK, and we will not hesitate to act where evidence suggests that further action is necessary.

What steps he is taking to ensure that any proposals to amend the Access to Work scheme are subject to consultation with disabled people and piloted before implementation.

This Government values the input of disabled people and people with health conditions, their representative organisations and people that support them. That is why we brought forward the Green Paper and opened a public consultation. We are now carefully reviewing responses to the Green Paper. We have recently concluded the Access to Work Collaboration Committees, in which we engaged with a range of stakeholders, including disabled people’s organisation representatives and lived experience users, to provide discussion, experience, and challenge to the design of the future Access to Work Scheme. We are continuing to work closely with stakeholders, and in particular disabled people and their representatives.

What estimate his Department has made of the number of people who have left or are at risk of leaving employment due to reductions in Access to Work awards upon renewal.

The Department for Work and Pensions does not collect data on the number of people who may have left or are at risk of leaving employment due to reductions in Access to Work awards upon renewal. Access to Work is only available to individuals who are starting or in employment, so this type of data is not recorded.Customers who disagree with a renewal outcome may request a reconsideration of their award.The Access to Work scheme supports disabled people start and stay in employment by providing tailored support based on individual needs.In the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we consulted on the future of the Access to Work scheme. We are considering responses to the consultation and will set out our plans in due course.

What assessment his Department has made of (a) the effectiveness of the monitoring of early foetal development in patients by trusts and (b) trends in the level of variations in that monitoring by those trusts.

Monitoring and reviewing Foetal Growth Restriction is a key safety component of the Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle (Care Bundle) which includes the Foetal Growth standard. NHS Resolution monitors this through the Maternity Incentive Scheme as part of the financial incentive for National Health Service trusts to improve safety in maternity and neonatal services. We are expecting the final evaluation of Maternity Incentive Scheme this year.In December 2025, NHS England wrote to NHS trusts advising them to stop using intergrowth growth charts to estimate foetal weight and move to other alternatives by 31 March 2026. This is supported in guidance from the Royal College of Gynaecologists and implementation of this change will be monitored locally.

What national guidance is in place for cases of aspirin-allergic women at high risk of placental complications.

NHS England’s guidance states that there are a few absolute contraindications, that being, conditions that mean a certain treatment should not be used, to aspirin therapy. Pregnant women with a history of aspirin allergy, for example urticaria, or hypersensitivity to other salicylates are at risk of anaphylaxis and should not receive aspirin. Clinicians should undertake a personalised risk assessment and agree appropriate care and surveillance of maternal and foetal health in line with national guidance, local protocols, and the woman’s circumstances. NHS England’s guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/saving-babies-lives-version-3-2/#appendix-b-medication-to-reduce-the-risk-of-pregnancy-complications:~:text=There%20are%20a%20few,case%2Dby%2Dcase%20basis

Media and Sport, what discussions her Department had with music industry bodies on the cost of music concerts.

Ministers have spoken regularly with the industry, with artists and promoters about the cost of pop and classical music concerts, the importance of small music venues and the costs of tickets on the primary and secondary market. That is why we have committed to introducing new protections for consumers on ticket resales, and launched a consultation on 10th January to seek views on potential options for resale platforms as well as primary sellers. The consultation was published alongside a call for evidence on pricing practices in the live events sector, including the use of dynamic pricing by the primary market. The consultation and call for evidence closed on 4th April and the responses have been considered. As part of the consultation and call for evidence process we engaged with a number of music and wider live event ticketing bodies, including Ticketmaster. The Government will respond shortly to set out next steps.

With reference to the Third Report of the Transport Select Committee of Session 2024-2 on Buses connecting communities, HC 494, published on 13 August 2025, if her Department will consider the potential merits of introducing free bus travel for under-22s.

The Government knows how important affordable and reliable bus services are in enabling people to get to education, work and access vital services. On 1 January, we introduced a £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London to help passengers continue to access cheaper bus services and better opportunities. At the Spending Review we announced the cap would be extended until March 2027.At present, the majority of bus services operate on a commercial basis by private operators, and any decisions regarding the level at which fares are set outside the scope of the £3 bus fare cap are commercial decisions for operators. Bus operators can choose to offer discounted fares for young people, and in the year ending March 2025, youth discounts were offered by at least one commercial bus operator in 73 out of 85 local authority areas in England outside London.As part of the Autumn 2024 Budget, the Government allocated £955 million to support and improve bus services in 25/26. This includes £712 million for local authorities, this can be used to expand services and improve reliability, which are currently massive obstacles for too many people. Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has been allocated £20.9 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to deliver better bus services can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, which could include introducing new fares initiatives to reduce the cost of bus travel for young people.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce waiting times for driving tests.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce driving test waiting times across the country.Further information on these actions and progress on the plan can be found on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/news/transport-secretary-acts-to-make-thousands-of-extra-driving-tests-available-each-month.

Media and Sport, what recent discussions her Department has had with Ticketmaster on the cost of music concert tickets.

Ministers have spoken regularly with the industry, with artists and promoters about the cost of pop and classical music concerts, the importance of small music venues and the costs of tickets on the primary and secondary market.That is why we have committed to introducing new protections for consumers on ticket resales, and launched a consultation on 10th January to seek views on potential options for resale platforms as well as primary sellers. The consultation was published alongside a call for evidence on pricing practices in the live events sector, including the use of dynamic pricing by the primary market.The consultation and call for evidence closed on 4th April and the responses have been considered. As part of the consultation and call for evidence process we engaged with a number of music and wider live event ticketing bodies, including Ticketmaster. The Government will respond shortly to set out next steps.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help improve the quality of student accommodation.

The government is improving the quality of student accommodation by overhauling the regulation of the private rented sector through the Renters’ Rights Bill. The Bill will provide tenants, including students, with greater security and stability and empower them to challenge bad practice. This change will help increase flexibility and prevent students in the private rented sector from being trapped paying rent for substandard properties – assured periodic tenancies will incentivise timely repairs and better standards. For purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA), only providers signed up to approved government codes will be exempt from the assured system. Quality in private PBSA is safeguarded through government-approved codes of practice, administered by ANUK/UNIPOL, which set rigorous standards for safety, maintenance, and student wellbeing.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2025 to question 63076 on Deportation: Mental Health, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of not recording (a) the number of failed asylum seekers with mental health issues and (b) the reporting rate to her Department of failed asylum seekers on national security.

Section 95 support is provided to failed asylum seekers who have dependants under the age of 18 in their household at the time their asylum claim and any appeal is finally rejected (for as long as the youngest child remains under 18).Other failed asylum seekers are supported under section 4(2) of the 1999 Act if they would otherwise be destitute and meet conditions set out in the Immigration and Asylum (Provision of Accommodation to Failed Asylum-Seekers) Regulations 2005.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 41589 Rented Housing: Housing Improvement, whether the First-tier Tribunal takes account of a landlord’s declaration when determining a market rent assessment.

It is important that means-tested energy efficiency grants schemes are used to benefit tenants. That is why, for example, we have set a clear expectation that landlords should declare that they do not intend to raise rents as a direct result of the upgrades funded by the Warm Homes: Local Grant that was launched in April.When determining market rent, the First Tier-Tribunal disregards improvements made and funded by the tenant.However, the Tribunal does not disregard measures funded by landlords, including instances where they may have been partially supported by specific government grants.We strongly encourage landlords and tenants to communicate early about what adjustments to rent are sustainable for both parties.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 41589 on Rented Housing: Housing Improvement, whether (a) landlords who have received a Warm Homes local grant and (b) local authorities are required to notify tenants of a declaration not to raise rents following the improvements.

The Warm Homes: Local Grant requires landlords to declare that they will not raise rents as a direct result of the upgrades being installed funded by government grants. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is monitoring the impact of the scheme, including on rents and may make changes if needed. There is not a requirement on either landlords or local authorities to notify tenants of this declaration.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the meeting held between the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Yair Golan on Thursday 10 July 2025, whether he discussed the use of human shields in (a) war and (b) conflict.

We are deeply disturbed by reports that soldiers of the Israel Defence Forces have used Palestinians as human shields in Gaza. Use of civilians as human shields is a breach of international humanitarian law. We call on the Government of Israel to fully investigate all such reports and ensure that anyone found responsible is held accountable. The Minister for the Middle East discussed the situation in Gaza with Yair Golan on 10 July, but did not discuss reports of the use of human shields.