Written questions by Lowe.

What assessment she has made of the risk that relevant records may have been destroyed before formal retention notices were issued; and what steps she has taken to ensure no loss of material occurs.

Baroness Casey made clear in her audit into Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse that local authorities, police forces and other relevant agencies should be required not to destroy any relevant records. Once the government responded to Baroness Casey’s report and accepted all her recommendations in June 2025, including establishing an Inquiry, organisations already had additional legal obligations to protect relevant information.Alongside her appointment on 9 December 2025, the Chair of the Inquiry wrote to the Cabinet Secretary to highlight the publication of the draft Terms of Reference at the earliest possible opportunity, to ensure that organisations were retaining information in line with the specific scope that the draft Terms of Reference established, including the time period, organisations, and issues likely to be examined. This letter highlighted the need for relevant local and national bodies to be ready to meet their legal obligations to provide relevant records, information and data to the Inquiry as it is requested.This letter was shared with Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Department for Education (DfE) and Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to cascade the requirement to retain records to their relevant sectors, including local councils, health agencies and police forces.Following this, on 14 January 2026 the Home Office Permanent Secretary wrote to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and other arm’s length bodies to pass on the Chair’s letter to the Cabinet Secretary, to set out the need for full transparency and cooperation with the Inquiry.The Inquiry has full statutory powers to compel evidence and witnesses and the Inquiry Chair has been clear that any gaps in evidence will be identified and investigated. If the Inquiry identifies potential criminal wrongdoing, including the destruction of evidence that should have been retained, this will be passed to law enforcement to assess.We expect organisations to comply with the law on record retention and do not intend to issue further guidance. The Inquiry may choose to write to affected organisations on record retention in due course now it has been formally established.

What systems her department has put in place to ensure that local authorities, police forces and other agencies cannot delete or destroy records that may be relevant to the independent inquiry into grooming gangs.

Baroness Casey made clear in her audit into Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse that local authorities, police forces and other relevant agencies should be required not to destroy any relevant records. Once the government responded to Baroness Casey’s report and accepted all her recommendations in June 2025, including establishing an Inquiry, organisations already had additional legal obligations to protect relevant information.Alongside her appointment on 9 December 2025, the Chair of the Inquiry wrote to the Cabinet Secretary to highlight the publication of the draft Terms of Reference at the earliest possible opportunity, to ensure that organisations were retaining information in line with the specific scope that the draft Terms of Reference established, including the time period, organisations, and issues likely to be examined. This letter highlighted the need for relevant local and national bodies to be ready to meet their legal obligations to provide relevant records, information and data to the Inquiry as it is requested.This letter was shared with Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Department for Education (DfE) and Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to cascade the requirement to retain records to their relevant sectors, including local councils, health agencies and police forces.Following this, on 14 January 2026 the Home Office Permanent Secretary wrote to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and other arm’s length bodies to pass on the Chair’s letter to the Cabinet Secretary, to set out the need for full transparency and cooperation with the Inquiry.The Inquiry has full statutory powers to compel evidence and witnesses and the Inquiry Chair has been clear that any gaps in evidence will be identified and investigated. If the Inquiry identifies potential criminal wrongdoing, including the destruction of evidence that should have been retained, this will be passed to law enforcement to assess.We expect organisations to comply with the law on record retention and do not intend to issue further guidance. The Inquiry may choose to write to affected organisations on record retention in due course now it has been formally established.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the exemption from stunning for religious slaughter on the Food Standards Agency's inspection and enforcement costs.

The Food Standards Agency apply animal welfare controls within approved slaughterhouses in England and Wales under a Service Level Agreement with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Welsh Government. We assess the impact of inspection and enforcement requirements on costs as part of the annual process of reviewing the Service Level Agreement. The Agreement applies to all of FSA’s monitoring and enforcement of the relevant animal welfare requirements, and does not consider slaughter without stunning separately.

Whether she will issue guidance to local authorities and other public bodies on the retention of historic records that may be relevant to investigations into group-based child sexual exploitation.

Baroness Casey made clear in her audit into Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse that local authorities, police forces and other relevant agencies should be required not to destroy any relevant records. Once the government responded to Baroness Casey’s report and accepted all her recommendations in June 2025, including establishing an Inquiry, organisations already had additional legal obligations to protect relevant information.Alongside her appointment on 9 December 2025, the Chair of the Inquiry wrote to the Cabinet Secretary to highlight the publication of the draft Terms of Reference at the earliest possible opportunity, to ensure that organisations were retaining information in line with the specific scope that the draft Terms of Reference established, including the time period, organisations, and issues likely to be examined. This letter highlighted the need for relevant local and national bodies to be ready to meet their legal obligations to provide relevant records, information and data to the Inquiry as it is requested.This letter was shared with Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Department for Education (DfE) and Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to cascade the requirement to retain records to their relevant sectors, including local councils, health agencies and police forces.Following this, on 14 January 2026 the Home Office Permanent Secretary wrote to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and other arm’s length bodies to pass on the Chair’s letter to the Cabinet Secretary, to set out the need for full transparency and cooperation with the Inquiry.The Inquiry has full statutory powers to compel evidence and witnesses and the Inquiry Chair has been clear that any gaps in evidence will be identified and investigated. If the Inquiry identifies potential criminal wrongdoing, including the destruction of evidence that should have been retained, this will be passed to law enforcement to assess.We expect organisations to comply with the law on record retention and do not intend to issue further guidance. The Inquiry may choose to write to affected organisations on record retention in due course now it has been formally established.

Which (a) faith groups, (b) religious organisations and (c) non-religious belief organisations were consulted in the previous Administration’s Independent Review of Prevent.

The Independent Review of Prevent was undertaken independently of the Home Office. When conducting the review, Sir William Shawcross independently and autonomously gathered feedback from a range of stakeholders, including civil society organisations and Prevent partners. This includes both faith-based and non-religious organisations. Any groups who were consulted were made aware of the Privacy Notice associated with the review. This makes clear that any evidence was collected on a confidential and, where requested, anonymous basis. All feedback was recorded with the aim of understanding how well Prevent operates, to help the government develop the strategy and policies to help safeguard people from being drawn into terrorism. Decisions on how the evidence was assessed and weighted were a matter for the Independent Reviewer. The recommendations made by the Independent Review of Prevent can be found in section eight of the Review, and the Government’s acknowledgement is detailed in the 2023 response. The Government’s current Prevent guidance is informed by these recommendations, rather than by direct use of any individual stakeholder feedback.

If she will publish a summary of the feedback provided by faith groups during the previous administration’s Independent Review of Prevent.

The Independent Review of Prevent was undertaken independently of the Home Office. When conducting the review, Sir William Shawcross independently and autonomously gathered feedback from a range of stakeholders, including civil society organisations and Prevent partners. This includes both faith-based and non-religious organisations. Any groups who were consulted were made aware of the Privacy Notice associated with the review. This makes clear that any evidence was collected on a confidential and, where requested, anonymous basis. All feedback was recorded with the aim of understanding how well Prevent operates, to help the government develop the strategy and policies to help safeguard people from being drawn into terrorism. Decisions on how the evidence was assessed and weighted were a matter for the Independent Reviewer. The recommendations made by the Independent Review of Prevent can be found in section eight of the Review, and the Government’s acknowledgement is detailed in the 2023 response. The Government’s current Prevent guidance is informed by these recommendations, rather than by direct use of any individual stakeholder feedback.

Whether her Department uses stakeholder feedback from faith groups gathered during the previous Administration’s Independent Review of Prevent in developing current Prevent policy and guidance.

The Independent Review of Prevent was undertaken independently of the Home Office. When conducting the review, Sir William Shawcross independently and autonomously gathered feedback from a range of stakeholders, including civil society organisations and Prevent partners. This includes both faith-based and non-religious organisations. Any groups who were consulted were made aware of the Privacy Notice associated with the review. This makes clear that any evidence was collected on a confidential and, where requested, anonymous basis. All feedback was recorded with the aim of understanding how well Prevent operates, to help the government develop the strategy and policies to help safeguard people from being drawn into terrorism. Decisions on how the evidence was assessed and weighted were a matter for the Independent Reviewer. The recommendations made by the Independent Review of Prevent can be found in section eight of the Review, and the Government’s acknowledgement is detailed in the 2023 response. The Government’s current Prevent guidance is informed by these recommendations, rather than by direct use of any individual stakeholder feedback.

What recent assessment she has made of the (a) relevance and (b) accuracy of stakeholder feedback from faith groups gathered during the previous Administration’s Independent Review of Prevent.

The Independent Review of Prevent was undertaken independently of the Home Office. When conducting the review, Sir William Shawcross independently and autonomously gathered feedback from a range of stakeholders, including civil society organisations and Prevent partners. This includes both faith-based and non-religious organisations. Any groups who were consulted were made aware of the Privacy Notice associated with the review. This makes clear that any evidence was collected on a confidential and, where requested, anonymous basis. All feedback was recorded with the aim of understanding how well Prevent operates, to help the government develop the strategy and policies to help safeguard people from being drawn into terrorism. Decisions on how the evidence was assessed and weighted were a matter for the Independent Reviewer. The recommendations made by the Independent Review of Prevent can be found in section eight of the Review, and the Government’s acknowledgement is detailed in the 2023 response. The Government’s current Prevent guidance is informed by these recommendations, rather than by direct use of any individual stakeholder feedback.

What recent assessment she has made of whether the stakeholder engagement undertaken during the previous Administration’s Independent Review of Prevent attached equal weight to views expressed by (a) faith groups and (b) non-religious belief organisations.

The Independent Review of Prevent was undertaken independently of the Home Office. When conducting the review, Sir William Shawcross independently and autonomously gathered feedback from a range of stakeholders, including civil society organisations and Prevent partners. This includes both faith-based and non-religious organisations. Any groups who were consulted were made aware of the Privacy Notice associated with the review. This makes clear that any evidence was collected on a confidential and, where requested, anonymous basis. All feedback was recorded with the aim of understanding how well Prevent operates, to help the government develop the strategy and policies to help safeguard people from being drawn into terrorism. Decisions on how the evidence was assessed and weighted were a matter for the Independent Reviewer. The recommendations made by the Independent Review of Prevent can be found in section eight of the Review, and the Government’s acknowledgement is detailed in the 2023 response. The Government’s current Prevent guidance is informed by these recommendations, rather than by direct use of any individual stakeholder feedback.

Communities and Local Government, for each of the past five years, what proportion of households who left their last settled home due to domestic abuse were (a) UK nationals and (b) non‑UK nationals.

The government publishes quarterly data on the number of applicants owed a prevention or relief duty where the reason for loss of last settled home was domestic abuse. This is available in tables A2P and A2R here. We do not publish separate data on the immigration status of applicants whose reason for loss of last settled home was domestic abuse.

Communities and Local Government, for each of the past five years, what proportion of households who left their last settled home due to domestic abuse held an immigration status conferring eligibility for social housing, including (a) refugee status, (b) humanitarian protection, (c) settled status, (d) pre‑settled status with a qualifying right to reside and (e) indefinite leave to remain.

The government publishes quarterly data on the number of applicants owed a prevention or relief duty where the reason for loss of last settled home was domestic abuse. This is available in tables A2P and A2R here. We do not publish separate data on the immigration status of applicants whose reason for loss of last settled home was domestic abuse.

Whether her Department has considered introducing minimum attendance or engagement requirements as part of the eligibility criteria for the Graduate Route in light of the Migration Advisory Committee’s findings on data quality and student engagement in its May 2024 rapid review.

The Home Office is taking steps to improve data quality and transparency regarding agents. From 7 April Student sponsors will be required to provide agent details on the Certificate of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) for all student applications where the sponsor has used an agent to recruit the student. From the same date, all sponsors will also be required to adhere to the Agent Quality Framework (AQF).Minimum academic, attendance and engagement requirements already apply to the Graduate route. Graduate applicants are required to have successfully completed an eligible qualification whilst holding permission on the Student route and student sponsors are required to comply with the Home Office’s academic engagement policy in relation to all sponsored students.As announced in the Immigration White Paper, from 1 January 2027 Graduates will be granted 18 months of permission instead of 2 years in recognition of the need for Graduates to transition into Graduate level jobs more quickly.

Whether her Department has considered introducing minimum academic achievement requirements, alongside minimum attendance or engagement criteria, as part of the eligibility conditions for the Graduate Route.

The Home Office is taking steps to improve data quality and transparency regarding agents. From 7 April Student sponsors will be required to provide agent details on the Certificate of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) for all student applications where the sponsor has used an agent to recruit the student. From the same date, all sponsors will also be required to adhere to the Agent Quality Framework (AQF).Minimum academic, attendance and engagement requirements already apply to the Graduate route. Graduate applicants are required to have successfully completed an eligible qualification whilst holding permission on the Student route and student sponsors are required to comply with the Home Office’s academic engagement policy in relation to all sponsored students.As announced in the Immigration White Paper, from 1 January 2027 Graduates will be granted 18 months of permission instead of 2 years in recognition of the need for Graduates to transition into Graduate level jobs more quickly.

What has been the total cost to the public purse of the Gaza medical evacuation scheme for children.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 November 2025 to Question 81587.

What assessment her Department has made of the extent to which the concentration of Graduate Route visa holders in low‑wage or low‑skilled employment overlaps with sectors that have high levels of young people aged 16 to 24 who are not in education, employment or training.

The Home Office is taking steps to improve data quality and transparency regarding agents. From 7 April Student sponsors will be required to provide agent details on the Certificate of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) for all student applications where the sponsor has used an agent to recruit the student. From the same date, all sponsors will also be required to adhere to the Agent Quality Framework (AQF).Minimum academic, attendance and engagement requirements already apply to the Graduate route. Graduate applicants are required to have successfully completed an eligible qualification whilst holding permission on the Student route and student sponsors are required to comply with the Home Office’s academic engagement policy in relation to all sponsored students.As announced in the Immigration White Paper, from 1 January 2027 Graduates will be granted 18 months of permission instead of 2 years in recognition of the need for Graduates to transition into Graduate level jobs more quickly.

What assessment her Department has made of the Migration Advisory Committee’s May 2024 recommendation that the Government improve data quality and transparency around the use of international recruitment agents in higher education; and whether her Department has considered adopting or endorsing the Agent Quality Framework for use by higher‑education providers.

The Home Office is taking steps to improve data quality and transparency regarding agents. From 7 April Student sponsors will be required to provide agent details on the Certificate of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) for all student applications where the sponsor has used an agent to recruit the student. From the same date, all sponsors will also be required to adhere to the Agent Quality Framework (AQF).Minimum academic, attendance and engagement requirements already apply to the Graduate route. Graduate applicants are required to have successfully completed an eligible qualification whilst holding permission on the Student route and student sponsors are required to comply with the Home Office’s academic engagement policy in relation to all sponsored students.As announced in the Immigration White Paper, from 1 January 2027 Graduates will be granted 18 months of permission instead of 2 years in recognition of the need for Graduates to transition into Graduate level jobs more quickly.

If she will publish a breakdown of student loan recipients by nationality in each of the last five years.

Attached is a table that provides data about students in receipt of student loans by nationality, for the 2020/21 – 2024/25 academic years.This dataset reports the number of UK Nationals, and provides a breakdown of nationalities for non-UK Nationals. Previous similar parliamentary questions used nationality as self‑reported by applicants on their Student Finance application form. Under that approach, UK Nationals could record an additional nationality alongside proof of their UK national status, which led to inconsistent reporting for borrowers who held UK National status.The department and the Student Loans Company (SLC) have strengthened the quality and consistency of their data and now hold robust information on a borrower’s UK national status and nationality. This has reduced the number of ‘unknown’ records previously reported to less than 0.07% in the last year of this dataset. This is a live management information dataset which is not static, and data can be updated over time as SLC update their records and re-categorise data.

Communities and Local Government, for each of the past five years, what proportion of social housing evictions involved households with (a) no recourse to public funds, (b) pre‑settled status without a qualifying right to reside, (c) temporary visas, (d) refugee status, (e) humanitarian protection, or (f) indefinite leave to remain.

My Department does not hold the information requested.

Communities and Local Government, for each of the past five years, how many households placed in the insanitary, unsatisfactory or overcrowded Reasonable Preference category on social housing registers were (a) UK nationals, (b) EU nationals, and (c) non‑EU nationals.

My Department does not hold the information requested.

Whether the Government has considered the Migration Advisory Committee’s recommendation in its May 2024 rapid review of the Graduate Route that universities be required to publish annual data on their use of international recruitment agents, including expenditure and the number of students recruited through such agents; and whether the Government plans to take this recommendation forward.

The Home Office is taking steps to improve data quality and transparency regarding agents. From 7 April Student sponsors will be required to provide agent details on the Certificate of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) for all student applications where the sponsor has used an agent to recruit the student. From the same date, all sponsors will also be required to adhere to the Agent Quality Framework (AQF).Minimum academic, attendance and engagement requirements already apply to the Graduate route. Graduate applicants are required to have successfully completed an eligible qualification whilst holding permission on the Student route and student sponsors are required to comply with the Home Office’s academic engagement policy in relation to all sponsored students.As announced in the Immigration White Paper, from 1 January 2027 Graduates will be granted 18 months of permission instead of 2 years in recognition of the need for Graduates to transition into Graduate level jobs more quickly.