Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2026 to Question 104261 on English Language: Assessments, what estimate she has made of the net positive benefit to the public purse of the Home Office English Language Test; and whether she has made a comparative assessment of the impact on the public purse of (a) the model being tendered and (b) a model combining digital and in-person security measures.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Pursuant to answer of 16 January 2026 to UIN 104261

As set out in the answer of 16 January 2026, today's Secure English Language Testing concessions collect all applicants' fees with no return to the Department to cover the costs of managing and overseeing delivery. The new Home Office English Language Test service will deliver a net positive benefit to the public purse by changing that financial arrangement.

The Department has not made a separate published assessment of the net financial benefit of a model combining digital and in-person security measures compared to the model being tendered. The procurement specification sets out the security and integrity requirements that any delivery model must meet, and cost is assessed alongside those requirements as part of the evaluation process. The overall value for money assessment will be made in the context of the full evaluation.

A specific estimate of the net positive benefit has not been published, as the procurement process is ongoing and the financial arrangements will be determined at contract award.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department plans to take to identify and mitigate potential attempts at cheating resulting from the new Home Office English Language Test being taken outside secure test centres and without in-person supervision.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office is committed to ensuring the integrity of the Home Office English Language Test (HOELT). The procurement process requires any delivery model to meet appropriate integrity requirements. The Department is aware of the risks associated with remote testing and is working to ensure that robust safeguards are built into the specification. These include requirements for strong identity verification, AI-assisted monitoring, and other technical controls designed to detect and deter cheating. The Department continues to engage with experts and regulators, including Ofqual, as the programme develops.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what comparative assessment she has made of the (a) security of in-person supervision and (b) best-in-class digital security measures in the Home Office English Language Test.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office has considered the relative strengths of in-person supervision and digital security measures as part of its work to develop the HOELT. The Department acknowledges that both delivery models have strengths and limitations. In-person supervision at secure test centres provides a controlled environment that limits certain categories of risk. Digital security measures, when applied rigorously, can provide robust identity verification, real-time monitoring, and audit trails. The procurement specification requires any proposed solution to demonstrate that its security measures are fit for purpose for a high-stakes immigration test, and the evaluation will assess how bidders address these considerations.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what evidence on test security her Department reviewed as part of the market engagement process for the Home Office English Language tender.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

During the market engagement process for the HOELT, the Home Office engaged with a wide range of stakeholders, including existing Secure English Language Test (SELT) providers, assessment bodies, regulators such as Ofqual, and independent experts. Evidence submitted through this process included information on test security approaches, the risks and mitigations associated with different delivery models, technical controls and international comparisons. The Department took this evidence into account in developing the procurement specification, alongside its own internal analysis of security risks. The specification also considers not only the solutions available at the point of contract commencement, but the bidders’ approaches to innovating and improving security measures throughout the life of the contract to respond to new and emerging threats.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what contingency arrangements she plans to put in place to ensure secure provision of the Home Office English Language Test in the event of technical exploits subverting digital security measures in remote testing.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office is designing the HOELT procurement to ensure resilience in test delivery. The specification includes requirements for contingency arrangements in the event that technical vulnerabilities are identified or exploited. The Department expects any appointed provider to have robust incident response procedures in place, including the ability to suspend affected testing where necessary, investigate and address vulnerabilities promptly, and maintain the integrity of results already issued. The Department will work with the provider and with Ofqual throughout the contract to monitor security and respond to emerging threats.

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