Asked by: David Reed (Conservative - Exmouth and Exeter East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Plan 2 student loan repayments on pension auto-enrolment contribution adequacy for borrowers earning between (a) £27,295 and £50,270, (b) £50,270 and £60,000 and (c) £60,000 and £80,000; and whether his Department has modelled the impact of reduced pension contributions during years in which student loan repayments are also being made on long-term retirement savings.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Workplace pension participation remains high among all eligible age groups, with 82% of all employees participating in workplace pensions in 2024.
The Government remains committed to building on the success of automatic enrolment to ensure that people are saving enough for retirement. That is why we have revived the Pensions Commission which will look at the adequacy, fairness and sustainability of the pensions system for future cohorts of retirees.
Asked by: David Reed (Conservative - Exmouth and Exeter East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2026 to Question 113311 Private Education: Single Sex Education, how the Department records and retains information on applications by independent schools for approval of material changes.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Information regarding applications for approval to make a material change is recorded and retained on the Independent Education and School Safeguarding Division's customer relationship management system, against the school’s individual record. Once a material change application is approved, the department's publicly available register of schools in England, the ‘Get Information About Schools’ service, is amended to reflect the change to the school's registered details.
Asked by: David Reed (Conservative - Exmouth and Exeter East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to Question 115946 on Students: Loans, whether her Department holds the data requested on the number and proportion of people with Plan 2 student loans who had an effective marginal deduction rate of at least (a) 51 per cent and (b) 71 per cent in the 2024–25 tax year as a result of the combined effects of Income Tax, employee National Insurance contributions and Plan 2 student loan repayments.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Producing an answer to this question would be a significant analytical task at disproportionate cost.
We will continue to keep the terms of the system under review to ensure the system protects taxpayers and students now and in the future.
Asked by: David Reed (Conservative - Exmouth and Exeter East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of people with Plan 2 student loans had an effective marginal deduction rate of at least (a) 51 per cent and (b) 71 per cent as a result of the combined effects of Income Tax, employee National Insurance contributions and Plan 2 student loan repayments in the 2024-25 tax year.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Plan 2 Student Loan Scheme was introduced in 2012 under the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Coalition Government.
The student finance system is heavily subsidised by government, and lower-earning graduates will always be protected, with any outstanding loan and interest cancelled at the end of the repayment term. It is right that those who are able to repay loans do so.
We will continue to keep the terms of the system under review to ensure the system protects taxpayers and students now and in the future.
Asked by: David Reed (Conservative - Exmouth and Exeter East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2026 to Question 104598 Private Education: Single Sex Education, how many material change requests have been submitted by independent single-sex education settings seeking approval to become co-educational since (a) 1 January 2023 and (b) 1 January 2025.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department has processed 1232 material changes between 1 January 2023 and 1 January 2025. The department does not record data below this level in terms of types of school or type of material change.
Asked by: David Reed (Conservative - Exmouth and Exeter East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on updating the Computer Misuse Act 1990 to remove limits on the ability of cybersecurity professionals to deploy and use artificial intelligence tools to strengthen the UK’s resilience against cyber threats.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Government is conducting an ongoing review of the Computer Misuse Act (CMA). The Home Office will update on proposals taken forward in due course.
Asked by: David Reed (Conservative - Exmouth and Exeter East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had recent discussions with his US counterpart on (a) consent to transfer sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory and (b) amendment to the 1966 UK–US treaty.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26 January 2026 to Question 107405 to the hon. Member for South Suffolk (Mr Cartlidge).
Asked by: David Reed (Conservative - Exmouth and Exeter East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many independent single-sex schools have (a) closed and (b) changed their admissions policy to become dual-sex since 1 January 2025.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Five girls’ single sex schools and two boys’ single sex schools have closed since 1 January 2025.
The department does not collect data on how many schools have changed their admissions policy to become dual-sex.
Asked by: David Reed (Conservative - Exmouth and Exeter East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made on the potential security impacts of cyber attacks on the energy system.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department takes the security and resilience of UK energy infrastructure extremely seriously, including the cyber security of critical infrastructure. Maintaining a secure and reliable energy supply is a key priority.
The Department works closely with partners, including industry, to assess potential risks from cyber threats and their possible impacts on the availability and integrity of energy systems.
These risks are reflected in the National Risk Register, which includes three cyber-related risks owned by the Department. In partnership with the National Cyber Security Centre, the Department ensures threats are understood and appropriate mitigations implemented to maintain robust protections and resilience.
Asked by: David Reed (Conservative - Exmouth and Exeter East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department will require a cyber incident database with compulsory fixes to be created for attacks on the energy system.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero takes the security and resilience of UK energy infrastructure extremely seriously, including the cyber security of critical infrastructure. Maintaining a secure and reliable energy supply is a key priority. The Network and Information Systems (NIS) Regulations, impose strict incident-reporting obligations on critical energy operators.
The Government has recently introduced the Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill. The Bill proposes expanding incident-reporting requirements, broadening the scope of reportable events, and enhancing the powers of regulators to oversee compliance and require remedial actions where necessary.