Written questions by Lowe.

What estimate she has made of the number of irregular migrants currently residing in Great Yarmouth and the resource implications for local authorities.

The Home Office has, since 2022, operated a system of Full Dispersal which works to ensure that asylum accommodation is spread equitably and fairly across the UK. Procurement of accommodation is driven by a set of evidence-based plans, which are reviewed regularly with Local Government, and which consider a range of factors, including the availability of housing, pressure on services and community cohesion, to ensure that no one area is overburdened.Data, published quarterly, on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including accommodation type, and broken down into Local Authority area, can be found within the Asy_D11 tab of our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (opens in a new tab).

What steps she is taking to prevent the concentration of high-need migrant cohorts in deprived coastal communities such as Great Yarmouth.

The Home Office has, since 2022, operated a system of Full Dispersal which works to ensure that asylum accommodation is spread equitably and fairly across the UK. Procurement of accommodation is driven by a set of evidence-based plans, which are reviewed regularly with Local Government, and which consider a range of factors, including the availability of housing, pressure on services and community cohesion, to ensure that no one area is overburdened.Data, published quarterly, on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including accommodation type, and broken down into Local Authority area, can be found within the Asy_D11 tab of our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (opens in a new tab).

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of GPs in Great Yarmouth constituency.

As of 31 October 2025, there were 66 full time equivalent (FTE) doctors in general practice (GP) in the Great Yarmouth Constituency. The median number of FTE doctors per 10,000 registered patients was 5.5, compared to the England median of 5.6.Since October 2024 we have funded primary care networks with an additional £160 million to recruit recently qualified GPs through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. Over 2,600 individual GPs have now been recruited, preventing them from graduating into unemployment. This was a measure to respond to feedback from the profession and to help solve an immediate issue of GP unemployment.We have committed to training thousands more GPs across the country which will increase capacity and take the pressure off those currently working in the system.

What steps he is taking to reduce reoffending rates among prolific offenders in Great Yarmouth town centre.

In November 2024, the Home Office introduced Respect Orders to give police and local councils powers to ban persistent offenders from town centres. As well as prison sentences of up to two years, criminal courts will be able to issue unlimited fines and community orders, such as unpaid work, and curfews as punishment for breaching a Respect Order. For those who persistently break the law, we are building 14,000 new prison places to make sure they are removed from the streets. Whilst in prison they will be expected to take part in education or learn new skills to make them more useful contributors to society after release. The Probation Service's first priority is to protect the public. Anyone released from prison is subject to strict licence conditions, including exclusion zones where appropriate. If found to have breached these conditions they can be returned to prison. The Probation Service puts in place services aimed at reducing re-offending by supporting the needs of people on probation in Great Yarmouth. These include providing support in obtaining and maintaining suitable accommodation, help with drug and alcohol dependency issues, assistance with personal wellbeing needs and a holistic service addressing all needs for women.

If he will provide funding to help increase staffing levels at (a) James Paget University Hospital and (b) Northgate Hospital.

Decisions about recruitment are a matter for individual National Health Service employers, who manage this at a local level to ensure they have the staff they need to deliver safe and effective care.Funding provided to NHS trusts, including James Paget University Hospital and Northgate Hospital, is not ringfenced for specific items such as staffing levels. Hospitals receive funding allocations which they can use at their discretion, based on local priorities.The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

What discussions she has had with the Chief Constable of Norfolk on levels of organised criminal activity in Great Yarmouth.

This Government is committed to tackling the threat from Serious and Organised Crime (SOC) and ensuring that law enforcement has the resources it needs to do so effectively. Regional Organised Crime Units (ROCUs), which are collaborations between multiple police forces, play a vital role in supporting forces and partners to address SOC threats. Norfolk Constabulary form part of the Eastern Region ROCU.Significant investment has been made in strengthening ROCUs. Between April 2021 and March 2023, Chief Constables, PCCs and Mayors allocated 725 additional officers to ROCUs. With continued Home Office support, ROCUs have grown further, with 2,209 officers in place as of April 2025—an increase of over 60% since March 2021. These officers are tackling a range of SOC threats, helping to reduce crime and keep communities safe.Additionally, Clear, Hold, Build (CHB) is a place-based, three phased operational framework, designed by the Home Office which aims to reduce the Serious and Organised Crime (SOC) threat and crime levels in high-harm local areas and build sustained community resilience which prevents this harm returning.There are currently 65 CHB sites operational in England and Wales, across 42 police forces.Ultimately, operational decisions, including how resources are allocated to reduce levels of organised crime, are matters for Chief Constables and directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs), and Mayors with PCC functions, based on their local knowledge and experience.

What information his Department holds on the number of children in Great Yarmouth constituency that were unable to access an NHS dental appointment in the last 12 months.

Data is not held on the number of children in the Great Yarmouth constituency that were unable to access a National Health Service dental appointment in the last 12 months.The data for the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board, which includes the Great Yarmouth constituency, shows that 55% of children were seen by an NHS dentist in the previous 12 months up to June 2025, compared to 57% in England. This year, resources have also been provided to Norfolk County Council to support 5,605 children through the national supervised toothbrushing programme.On 16 December, we published the Government’s response to the public consultation on interim improvements to the NHS dental contract. The changes will be introduced from April 2026. These reforms will put patients with greatest need first, incentivising urgent care and complex treatments, and will reduce clinically unnecessary check-ups. More information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms/outcome/government-response-to-consultation-on-nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the number of NHS dentists currently working in Great Yarmouth constituency on patients' access to urgent care.

We are determined to rebuild NHS dentistry, but it will take time and there are no quick fixes. Strengthening the workforce is key to our ambitions.The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure that the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.We have asked integrated care boards (ICBs) to commission extra urgent dental appointments to make sure that patients with urgent dental needs can get the treatment they require. ICBs have been making extra appointments available from April 2025.These appointments are available across the country, with specific expectations for each region. These appointments are more heavily weighted towards those areas where they are needed the most.ICBs are also recruiting posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.We are committed to reforming the dental sector and we will deliver fundamental contract reform before the end of this Parliament. As a first step, we published the Government’s response to the public consultation on shorter term improvements to the NHS dental contract on 16 December 2025. The changes will be introduced from April 2026. These reforms will put patients with the greatest needs first while incentivising urgent care and complex treatments.

If his Department will provide emergency funding to areas with the most severe dental shortages, including Great Yarmouth.

We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist, particularly in more rural and coastal areas such as Great Yarmouth.In 2024/25, the Government invested around £3.7 billion on primary care dentistry. We want to ensure that every penny we allocate for dentistry is spent on dentistry, and that the ringfenced dental budget is spent on the patients who need it most.The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Great Yarmouth constituency, this is the NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB.We have asked ICBs to commission extra urgent dental appointments across the country, with appointments more heavily weighted towards those areas where they are needed the most.ICBs are also recruiting dentists through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.We are committed to delivering fundamental reform of the dental contract before the end of this Parliament. As a first step, we published the Government’s response to the public consultation on shorter term improvements to the NHS dental contract on 16 December 2025. The changes will be introduced from April 2026. These reforms will put patients with the greatest needs first while incentivising urgent care and complex treatments. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms/outcome/government-response-to-consultation-on-nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the level of violent and drug-related crime in Great Yarmouth; and whether she plans to provide additional resources to Norfolk Constabulary.

To deliver on our pledge to halve knife crime in the next decade, it is crucial that we tackle the gangs that lure children and young people into crime and run county lines through violence and exploitation. County Lines is the most violent model of drug supply and a harmful form of child criminal exploitation. Through the County Lines Programme, we continue to target exploitative drug dealing gangs and break the organised crime groups behind the trade.Since July 2024, law enforcement activity through the County Lines Programme taskforces has resulted in more than 3,000 deal lines closed, 8,200 arrests, (including the arrest and subsequent charge of over 1,600 deal line holders) 4,300 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people, and 900 knives seized.While the majority of county lines originate from the areas covered by the Metropolitan Police Service, West Midlands Police, Merseyside Police, Greater Manchester Police and West Yorkshire Police, we recognise that this is a national issue which affects all forces. This is why we fund the National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC) to monitor the intelligence picture and co-ordinate a national law enforcement response, including publication of an annual Strategic Threat and Risk Assessment. We also have a dedicated fund to help local police forces, including Norfolk Constabulary, tackle county lines.As part of the Programme, the NCLCC regularly coordinates weeks of intensive action against county lines gangs, which all police forces take part in, including Norfolk Constabulary. The most recent of these took place 23-29 June 2025 and resulted in 241 lines closed, as well as 1,965 arrests, 1,179 individuals safeguarded and 501 weapons seized.We have made £200 million available in 2025/26 to support the first steps towards delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel across England and Wales by the end of this Parliament, including up to 3,000 additional neighbourhood officers by the end of March 2026. Based on their £2,237,478 allocation from the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, Norfolk Police are projected to grow by 31 FTE neighbourhood police officers in 2025/26.In addition, under the Hotspot Action Fund programme, Norfolk Constabulary are delivering additional policing in their areas worst affected by serious violence. This is a combination of regular visible patrols in the streets and neighbourhoods (‘hotspot areas’) experiencing the highest volumes of serious violence to immediately suppress violence and provide community reassurance, and problem-oriented policing. In 2025/26 we have provided Norfolk Constabulary £389,522 for their delivery of Hotspot Action Fund.

What assessment she has made of the reliability of income data used by the Student Loans Company.

The Student Loans Company (SLC) uses income data provided by HMRC, which is an effective way to ensure that repayments are linked directly to earnings for borrowers resident in the UK. Employers and self-employed borrowers provide income and student loan information to HMRC alongside tax reporting. HMRC then report this to the SLC.The amount that borrowers are required to repay is calculated on the basis of income subject to National Insurance contributions (for UK-resident PAYE borrowers) or income subject to tax (for borrowers in Self-Assessment).Borrowers residing overseas for more than three months, whether permanently or temporarily, are required to repay directly to the SLC, as they are outside the UK tax system. Borrowers must complete a yearly Overseas Income Assessment Form, including evidence of earnings (such as payslips or bank statements) or other income. The SLC then establishes a 12-month repayment schedule based on the borrower’s projected gross annual salary.

What discussions she has had with the student local company on levels of interest applied to student loans; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of those levels on graduates’ disposable income and long-term repayment outcomes.

Interest rates are set in legislation in reference to the Retail Price Index and applied annually from 1 September. The Student Loans Company applies interest accordingly. Student loans are subject to interest so that those who can afford to do so contribute to the full cost of their degree.Interest rates on student loans do not affect monthly repayments made by borrowers. Regular repayments are based on a fixed percentage of earnings above the applicable student loan repayment threshold. Any outstanding debt, including interest built up, is written off after the loan term ends (or in case of death or disability) at no detriment to the borrower.A full equality impact assessment of how the student loan reforms may affect graduates, including detail on changes to average lifetime repayments under Plan 5, was produced and published under the previous government in February 2022 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reform-equality-impact-assessment.

What proportion of borrowers who leave the UK after receiving student finance maintain full repayment compliance; and what mechanisms exist to enforce repayments from those living overseas.

As of April 2025, 6.1 million borrowers (English and EU nationals with loans from Student Finance England) are in Repayment. Of the 6.1 million, 286,000 (4.6%) reside overseas, of which 85,000 (29.7%) are EU nationals and 201,000 (70.3%) are English UK nationals. Full details can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-loans-in-england-2024-to-2025.In November 2025, 60.3% of borrowers residing overseas (EU and UK nationals) were compliant, and 39.7% non-compliant. The compliance rate for UK borrowers was 62.3%, and for EU borrowers 55.4%.The Student Loans Company (SLC) recovers approximately £10 million per month from customers residing overseas (both UK and EU nationals) at cost of approximately £339,000 per month. This is a return on investment of approximately 30:1.In the 2024/25 financial year, SLC’s repayments evasion unit recovered £7.7 million from non-compliant overseas borrowers. If the SLC is unable to recover outstanding debt directly from borrowers overseas, the account will be referred to a Debt Collection Agency (DCA). On average, DCAs deliver a return on investment of £5 for every £1 spent. From April 2024 to March 2025, recoveries from overseas borrowers stand at £3.74 million.A full equality impact assessment of how the student loan reforms may affect graduates, including detail on changes to average lifetime repayments under Plan 5, was produced and published in February 2022 and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reform-equality-impact-assessment.

What assessment she has made of the equitability of the current student loan system, in the context of the rising value of student loans issued to applicants who may not remain in the UK long enough to repay.

As of April 2025, 6.1 million borrowers (English and EU nationals with loans from Student Finance England) are in Repayment. Of the 6.1 million, 286,000 (4.6%) reside overseas, of which 85,000 (29.7%) are EU nationals and 201,000 (70.3%) are English UK nationals. Full details can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-loans-in-england-2024-to-2025.In November 2025, 60.3% of borrowers residing overseas (EU and UK nationals) were compliant, and 39.7% non-compliant. The compliance rate for UK borrowers was 62.3%, and for EU borrowers 55.4%.The Student Loans Company (SLC) recovers approximately £10 million per month from customers residing overseas (both UK and EU nationals) at cost of approximately £339,000 per month. This is a return on investment of approximately 30:1.In the 2024/25 financial year, SLC’s repayments evasion unit recovered £7.7 million from non-compliant overseas borrowers. If the SLC is unable to recover outstanding debt directly from borrowers overseas, the account will be referred to a Debt Collection Agency (DCA). On average, DCAs deliver a return on investment of £5 for every £1 spent. From April 2024 to March 2025, recoveries from overseas borrowers stand at £3.74 million.A full equality impact assessment of how the student loan reforms may affect graduates, including detail on changes to average lifetime repayments under Plan 5, was produced and published in February 2022 and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reform-equality-impact-assessment.

What estimate she has made of the total value of student loans unlikely to be repaid by borrowers who have not established a long-term financial footprint in the UK; and what the projected cost to the public purse will be over the next decade.

The information requested is not held centrally.

What assessment she has made of the long-term economic contribution of student-loan recipients who do not remain in the UK workforce after graduation; and how this affects repayment forecasts for the loan book.

The information requested is not held centrally.

What estimate she has made of the potential administrative cost associated with tracing and managing borrowers of student loans whose repayment status cannot be verified through UK tax systems.

As of April 2025, 6.1 million borrowers (English and EU nationals with loans from Student Finance England) are in Repayment. Of the 6.1 million, 286,000 (4.6%) reside overseas, of which 85,000 (29.7%) are EU nationals and 201,000 (70.3%) are English UK nationals. Full details can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-loans-in-england-2024-to-2025.In November 2025, 60.3% of borrowers residing overseas (EU and UK nationals) were compliant, and 39.7% non-compliant. The compliance rate for UK borrowers was 62.3%, and for EU borrowers 55.4%.The Student Loans Company (SLC) recovers approximately £10 million per month from customers residing overseas (both UK and EU nationals) at cost of approximately £339,000 per month. This is a return on investment of approximately 30:1.In the 2024/25 financial year, SLC’s repayments evasion unit recovered £7.7 million from non-compliant overseas borrowers. If the SLC is unable to recover outstanding debt directly from borrowers overseas, the account will be referred to a Debt Collection Agency (DCA). On average, DCAs deliver a return on investment of £5 for every £1 spent. From April 2024 to March 2025, recoveries from overseas borrowers stand at £3.74 million.A full equality impact assessment of how the student loan reforms may affect graduates, including detail on changes to average lifetime repayments under Plan 5, was produced and published in February 2022 and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reform-equality-impact-assessment.

Whether her Department collects data on loan write-off rates broken down by borrower residency status at the time of issuing the loan.

We are resolute in our commitment to protecting public money in higher education and are taking firm action to address serious concerns about exploitation of the student funding system.Eligibility for student finance is not based solely on nationality, but on a person’s immigration status and residency. To be eligible, a student must be ordinarily resident in England and be settled or have a recognised connection with the UK. Students must also have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and/or the British Overseas Territories) for the three years prior to the first day of the first academic year of their course.There are exceptions to these requirements for some individuals. For example, there is an exception to the requirement to be settled for those who are covered by the EU Withdrawal Agreement.To qualify for support, applicants must provide the Student Loans Company (SLC) with evidence of their eligibility. This includes evidence of their identity, immigration status and ordinary residence.SLC have robust procedures in place to check student finance eligibility, including data-sharing with Home Office and HM Passport Office. When required, the SLC will contact the Home Office to confirm an applicant’s immigration status and ordinary residence.Nationality is an optional field when creating a student finance account, however, it is mandatory for the full application for support to be processed. Nationality will always be checked as part of verifying a person’s identity and where appropriate as part of verifying their immigration status. Applications that are incomplete for any of SLC’s identity, immigration status or residence history checks are not approved for student finance.A student does not qualify for student finance if they have shown themselves by their conduct to be ‘unfitted’ to receive support, such as providing falsified documents. Depending on the nature of being found unfitted, the student’s details may be added to the Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System (CIFAS) database. SLC does record details of students who have been made ineligible for student finance. However, the data is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.The department does not hold the data in a format that can provide information on investigations that are currently open into incorrect residency claims for student finance.SLC has advised the department that it has strengthened its integration with Home Office systems for the purposes of establishing eligibility for student finance.Table 1: Number of cases of misrepresentation in student finance applications have been identified in each of the last five years.Financial YearInvestigations (All fraud types)Fraud type: residencyFraud type: migrant worker2020/211,240962021/221,73710782022/232,43152252023/242,734211342024/252,2318301 Table 1 shows data for undergraduate applications which have been found to warrant sanctions for false evidence on application. Applications with residency fraud have failed checks for UK nationals, Irish citizens or ‘settled status’ in the UK to verify information on the following eligibility criteria: their home is in England, they’ve been continuously living in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man for three years before the first day of the first academic year (apart from temporary absences such as holidays). Applications with migrant worker fraud have failed checks or submitted false evidence to claim migrant worker status and access student finance. From 2022 onwards the number of cases linked to migrant worker students increased, initially due to a law enforcement referral and then due to collective and increased focus on fraud.Table 2: Value and volume of income-contingent repayment loans due for repayment from Student Finance England (SFE) borrowers who were domiciled in England at the time of the loan whose income is not verified, as a proportion of the total loan book as at 10/12/2025.Value of all loans in repayment£226,756,961,551Value of loans where income could not be verified£12,801,872,323Proportion of loan values where income was not verified5.65%Volume of all loans in repayment5,666,186Volume of loans where income was not verified376,410Proportion of loan volume where income was not verified6.64% Table 2 shows the value and volume of all SFE income-contingent repayment loans for students who were domiciled in England at the time of the loan whose income was not verified, as a proportion of the total loan book. The main reasons for income which is not verified is that they have been matched by HMRC but have no employment details recorded or they have moved overseas and are no longer part of the UK tax system. SLC proactively attempt to trace and contact all borrowers whose income is not verified to correctly classify the situation and take the required action.The department does not hold the data to provide accurate loan write-off rates (the proportion of loans which have been written off) in the form requested. Due to the way in which the data is held, analysts in the department would not be able to provide this information you have requested without exceeding the disproportionate cost threshold.Table 3 shows the number of full-time undergraduate students who were domiciled in England who received their first loan payment whilst they were under the age of 18 in each of the last ten years.Academic YearNumber of borrowers2015536201652120174702018460201943520204282021455202248420235182024475Total4,782

What assessment she has made of the compliance rates with the three-year UK residency requirement among student finance applicants.

We are resolute in our commitment to protecting public money in higher education and are taking firm action to address serious concerns about exploitation of the student funding system.Eligibility for student finance is not based solely on nationality, but on a person’s immigration status and residency. To be eligible, a student must be ordinarily resident in England and be settled or have a recognised connection with the UK. Students must also have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and/or the British Overseas Territories) for the three years prior to the first day of the first academic year of their course.There are exceptions to these requirements for some individuals. For example, there is an exception to the requirement to be settled for those who are covered by the EU Withdrawal Agreement.To qualify for support, applicants must provide the Student Loans Company (SLC) with evidence of their eligibility. This includes evidence of their identity, immigration status and ordinary residence.SLC have robust procedures in place to check student finance eligibility, including data-sharing with Home Office and HM Passport Office. When required, the SLC will contact the Home Office to confirm an applicant’s immigration status and ordinary residence.Nationality is an optional field when creating a student finance account, however, it is mandatory for the full application for support to be processed. Nationality will always be checked as part of verifying a person’s identity and where appropriate as part of verifying their immigration status. Applications that are incomplete for any of SLC’s identity, immigration status or residence history checks are not approved for student finance.A student does not qualify for student finance if they have shown themselves by their conduct to be ‘unfitted’ to receive support, such as providing falsified documents. Depending on the nature of being found unfitted, the student’s details may be added to the Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System (CIFAS) database. SLC does record details of students who have been made ineligible for student finance. However, the data is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.The department does not hold the data in a format that can provide information on investigations that are currently open into incorrect residency claims for student finance.SLC has advised the department that it has strengthened its integration with Home Office systems for the purposes of establishing eligibility for student finance.Table 1: Number of cases of misrepresentation in student finance applications have been identified in each of the last five years.Financial YearInvestigations (All fraud types)Fraud type: residencyFraud type: migrant worker2020/211,240962021/221,73710782022/232,43152252023/242,734211342024/252,2318301 Table 1 shows data for undergraduate applications which have been found to warrant sanctions for false evidence on application. Applications with residency fraud have failed checks for UK nationals, Irish citizens or ‘settled status’ in the UK to verify information on the following eligibility criteria: their home is in England, they’ve been continuously living in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man for three years before the first day of the first academic year (apart from temporary absences such as holidays). Applications with migrant worker fraud have failed checks or submitted false evidence to claim migrant worker status and access student finance. From 2022 onwards the number of cases linked to migrant worker students increased, initially due to a law enforcement referral and then due to collective and increased focus on fraud.Table 2: Value and volume of income-contingent repayment loans due for repayment from Student Finance England (SFE) borrowers who were domiciled in England at the time of the loan whose income is not verified, as a proportion of the total loan book as at 10/12/2025.Value of all loans in repayment£226,756,961,551Value of loans where income could not be verified£12,801,872,323Proportion of loan values where income was not verified5.65%Volume of all loans in repayment5,666,186Volume of loans where income was not verified376,410Proportion of loan volume where income was not verified6.64% Table 2 shows the value and volume of all SFE income-contingent repayment loans for students who were domiciled in England at the time of the loan whose income was not verified, as a proportion of the total loan book. The main reasons for income which is not verified is that they have been matched by HMRC but have no employment details recorded or they have moved overseas and are no longer part of the UK tax system. SLC proactively attempt to trace and contact all borrowers whose income is not verified to correctly classify the situation and take the required action.The department does not hold the data to provide accurate loan write-off rates (the proportion of loans which have been written off) in the form requested. Due to the way in which the data is held, analysts in the department would not be able to provide this information you have requested without exceeding the disproportionate cost threshold.Table 3 shows the number of full-time undergraduate students who were domiciled in England who received their first loan payment whilst they were under the age of 18 in each of the last ten years.Academic YearNumber of borrowers2015536201652120174702018460201943520204282021455202248420235182024475Total4,782

How many cases of suspected misrepresentation in student finance applications have been identified in each of the last five years; and what proportion of these involved applicants providing insufficient or unverifiable residency documentation.

We are resolute in our commitment to protecting public money in higher education and are taking firm action to address serious concerns about exploitation of the student funding system.Eligibility for student finance is not based solely on nationality, but on a person’s immigration status and residency. To be eligible, a student must be ordinarily resident in England and be settled or have a recognised connection with the UK. Students must also have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and/or the British Overseas Territories) for the three years prior to the first day of the first academic year of their course.There are exceptions to these requirements for some individuals. For example, there is an exception to the requirement to be settled for those who are covered by the EU Withdrawal Agreement.To qualify for support, applicants must provide the Student Loans Company (SLC) with evidence of their eligibility. This includes evidence of their identity, immigration status and ordinary residence.SLC have robust procedures in place to check student finance eligibility, including data-sharing with Home Office and HM Passport Office. When required, the SLC will contact the Home Office to confirm an applicant’s immigration status and ordinary residence.Nationality is an optional field when creating a student finance account, however, it is mandatory for the full application for support to be processed. Nationality will always be checked as part of verifying a person’s identity and where appropriate as part of verifying their immigration status. Applications that are incomplete for any of SLC’s identity, immigration status or residence history checks are not approved for student finance.A student does not qualify for student finance if they have shown themselves by their conduct to be ‘unfitted’ to receive support, such as providing falsified documents. Depending on the nature of being found unfitted, the student’s details may be added to the Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System (CIFAS) database. SLC does record details of students who have been made ineligible for student finance. However, the data is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.The department does not hold the data in a format that can provide information on investigations that are currently open into incorrect residency claims for student finance.SLC has advised the department that it has strengthened its integration with Home Office systems for the purposes of establishing eligibility for student finance.Table 1: Number of cases of misrepresentation in student finance applications have been identified in each of the last five years.Financial YearInvestigations (All fraud types)Fraud type: residencyFraud type: migrant worker2020/211,240962021/221,73710782022/232,43152252023/242,734211342024/252,2318301 Table 1 shows data for undergraduate applications which have been found to warrant sanctions for false evidence on application. Applications with residency fraud have failed checks for UK nationals, Irish citizens or ‘settled status’ in the UK to verify information on the following eligibility criteria: their home is in England, they’ve been continuously living in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man for three years before the first day of the first academic year (apart from temporary absences such as holidays). Applications with migrant worker fraud have failed checks or submitted false evidence to claim migrant worker status and access student finance. From 2022 onwards the number of cases linked to migrant worker students increased, initially due to a law enforcement referral and then due to collective and increased focus on fraud.Table 2: Value and volume of income-contingent repayment loans due for repayment from Student Finance England (SFE) borrowers who were domiciled in England at the time of the loan whose income is not verified, as a proportion of the total loan book as at 10/12/2025.Value of all loans in repayment£226,756,961,551Value of loans where income could not be verified£12,801,872,323Proportion of loan values where income was not verified5.65%Volume of all loans in repayment5,666,186Volume of loans where income was not verified376,410Proportion of loan volume where income was not verified6.64% Table 2 shows the value and volume of all SFE income-contingent repayment loans for students who were domiciled in England at the time of the loan whose income was not verified, as a proportion of the total loan book. The main reasons for income which is not verified is that they have been matched by HMRC but have no employment details recorded or they have moved overseas and are no longer part of the UK tax system. SLC proactively attempt to trace and contact all borrowers whose income is not verified to correctly classify the situation and take the required action.The department does not hold the data to provide accurate loan write-off rates (the proportion of loans which have been written off) in the form requested. Due to the way in which the data is held, analysts in the department would not be able to provide this information you have requested without exceeding the disproportionate cost threshold.Table 3 shows the number of full-time undergraduate students who were domiciled in England who received their first loan payment whilst they were under the age of 18 in each of the last ten years.Academic YearNumber of borrowers2015536201652120174702018460201943520204282021455202248420235182024475Total4,782