Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will commission an independent review into how student finance products, including Plan 2 loans, are communicated to prospective students, with particular regard to transparency and informed consent.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Plan 2 student loans were devised by previous administrations and students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements. Since the 2023/24 academic year, new students in England receive their loans on Plan 5 terms and conditions, not on Plan 2 terms. As Plan 2 loans are not available for prospective students in England, there is no impact on existing borrowers.

Students sign the terms and conditions of student loans before any money is paid to them. Student loans already contain borrower protections. For example, repayments are linked to income, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied. Repayments are made at a constant rate of 9% above the earnings threshold. Borrowers earning under the earnings threshold are not required to make repayments. Any outstanding loan, including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

Student finance and higher education funding is a complex, interconnected system, and we are considering a range of options to make the system fairer. However, funding arrangements must be considered to ensure they are fiscally responsible.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government plans to introduce any additional safeguards to ensure that changes to student loan repayment terms do not have retrospective adverse impacts on existing borrowers.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Plan 2 student loans were devised by previous administrations and students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements. Since the 2023/24 academic year, new students in England receive their loans on Plan 5 terms and conditions, not on Plan 2 terms. As Plan 2 loans are not available for prospective students in England, there is no impact on existing borrowers.

Students sign the terms and conditions of student loans before any money is paid to them. Student loans already contain borrower protections. For example, repayments are linked to income, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied. Repayments are made at a constant rate of 9% above the earnings threshold. Borrowers earning under the earnings threshold are not required to make repayments. Any outstanding loan, including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

Student finance and higher education funding is a complex, interconnected system, and we are considering a range of options to make the system fairer. However, funding arrangements must be considered to ensure they are fiscally responsible.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Plan 2 student loan interest rates on borrowers, particularly in relation to (a) long-term debt balances and (b) the ability of borrowers to (i) access mortgages and (ii) manage the cost of living.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The size of outstanding student loans does not prevent access to a mortgage, and student loan balances do not appear on borrower credit records, therefore the total size of a student’s debt is not considered in a mortgage application.

Monthly student loan repayments are considered alongside other living costs as part of the affordability check for mortgage applications along with other fixed monthly outgoings, but monthly repayments are not linked to the size of the outstanding loan.

Student loan repayments are income linked, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied, and are fixed at 9% above the earnings threshold. Borrowers earning below the earnings threshold are exempt from repayments. Outstanding loans, including accrued interest, are cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance was issued to higher education institutions and the Student Loans Company on communicating to prospective students the potential for future changes to the terms and conditions of Plan 2 student loans.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Plan 2 student loans were designed and implemented in 2012 by previous governments, and students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements. This government therefore cannot comment on guidance that was provided to higher education institutions (HEIs) and Student Loans Company (SLC) regarding plan 2 loans.

However, both the SLC and HEIs had access to the terms and conditions of student loans available for prospective students prior to their application for financial support at the time of their studies.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of information provided to 17–18-year-old students entering higher education in 2012 on the interest rate structure of Plan 2 student loans, including the application of Retail Price Index plus up to 3%.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Prospective students had wide access to information across a range of platforms before submitting their applications.

Plan 2 loans interest rates are applied at the Retail Price Index (RPI) only, then variable up to RPI +3% depending on earnings. Repayments are calculated solely on earnings, and not on the amount borrowed or the rate of interest applied. Crucially, any outstanding loan and interest is written off at the end of the loan term, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department plans to publish a breakdown of the £100 billion in private investment it states has been attracted to the UK AI sector since 2024 and what proportion of that is spent onshore within Britain on British goods and services reverse the proportion of investment spent offshore on foreign companies.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The UK AI sector attracted the third highest levels of AI related private investment in the world. Alongside this, the UK produces the second highest number of AI startups globally. This Governments remains focused on ensuring the UK remains the most attractive place in the world to build AI companies and lead on AI adoption.

The £100bn figure referenced refers to the total amount of private investment that firms have pledged to invest into the UK’s AI sector. This pledged investment demonstrates international confidence in the UK’s strong and growing AI ecosystem, supported by the Government’s strategic approach to innovation, world leading research base, and pro investment policy environment - including the UK’s strengths in AI talent, compute, research, and responsible innovation.

Whilst decisions on investment is a matter for private companies, Government has been clear that it will encourage investment that will enable UK firms and people to benefit.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what mechanisms are in place to ensure transparency in the reporting of private investment linked to the Government’s AI strategy and the proportion of that investment which is spent onshore within Britain on British goods and services reverse the proportion of investment spent offshore on foreign companies.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The UK AI sector attracted the third highest levels of AI related private investment in the world. Alongside this, the UK produces the second highest number of AI startups globally. This Governments remains focused on ensuring the UK remains the most attractive place in the world to build AI companies and lead on AI adoption.

The £100bn figure referenced refers to the total amount of private investment that firms have pledged to invest into the UK’s AI sector. This pledged investment demonstrates international confidence in the UK’s strong and growing AI ecosystem, supported by the Government’s strategic approach to innovation, world leading research base, and pro investment policy environment - including the UK’s strengths in AI talent, compute, research, and responsible innovation.

Whilst decisions on investment is a matter for private companies, Government has been clear that it will encourage investment that will enable UK firms and people to benefit.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department audits private investment commitments included in his Department's press announcements on AI infrastructure.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The UK AI sector attracted the third highest levels of AI related private investment in the world. Alongside this, the UK produces the second highest number of AI startups globally. This Governments remains focused on ensuring the UK remains the most attractive place in the world to build AI companies and lead on AI adoption.

The £100bn figure referenced refers to the total amount of private investment that firms have pledged to invest into the UK’s AI sector. This pledged investment demonstrates international confidence in the UK’s strong and growing AI ecosystem, supported by the Government’s strategic approach to innovation, world leading research base, and pro investment policy environment - including the UK’s strengths in AI talent, compute, research, and responsible innovation.

Whilst decisions on investment is a matter for private companies, Government has been clear that it will encourage investment that will enable UK firms and people to benefit.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what proportion of the AI-related private investment announced by her Department since 2024 has been contractually committed.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The UK AI sector attracted the third highest levels of AI related private investment in the world. Alongside this, the UK produces the second highest number of AI startups globally. This Governments remains focused on ensuring the UK remains the most attractive place in the world to build AI companies and lead on AI adoption.

The £100bn figure referenced refers to the total amount of private investment that firms have pledged to invest into the UK’s AI sector. This pledged investment demonstrates international confidence in the UK’s strong and growing AI ecosystem, supported by the Government’s strategic approach to innovation, world leading research base, and pro investment policy environment - including the UK’s strengths in AI talent, compute, research, and responsible innovation.

Whilst decisions on investment is a matter for private companies, Government has been clear that it will encourage investment that will enable UK firms and people to benefit.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what processes her Department uses to verify the value and form of private sector AI investment commitments.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The UK AI sector attracted the third highest levels of AI related private investment in the world. Alongside this, the UK produces the second highest number of AI startups globally. This Governments remains focused on ensuring the UK remains the most attractive place in the world to build AI companies and lead on AI adoption.

The £100bn figure referenced refers to the total amount of private investment that firms have pledged to invest into the UK’s AI sector. This pledged investment demonstrates international confidence in the UK’s strong and growing AI ecosystem, supported by the Government’s strategic approach to innovation, world leading research base, and pro investment policy environment - including the UK’s strengths in AI talent, compute, research, and responsible innovation.

Whilst decisions on investment is a matter for private companies, Government has been clear that it will encourage investment that will enable UK firms and people to benefit.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many new datacentres have been constructed as a result of investment by CoreWeave.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

CoreWeave's announced investments into the UK total £2.5 billion. CoreWeave has committed £1.5 billion towards the Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone in Scotland, deploying cutting-edge semiconductors at DataVita's data centre campus in Lanarkshire. The earlier £1 billion investment covered the opening of CoreWeave's UK office as its European headquarters, the creation of job opportunities across engineering, operations, and finance, and the deployment of AI computing infrastructure across two data centres in Crawley and London Docklands.

Large AI infrastructure investments are complex and take time to deliver; as government, we want to encourage these investments by supporting them as best we can. Where important investment announcements and commitments are made, Government will continue to work closely with those companies to ensure the delivery of those investments.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether a formal contract has been signed with Nscale for the construction of the proposed AI datacentre in Loughton, Essex.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Matters regarding specific delivery and commercial plans for any private project are for the lead private sector investor to confirm. The government engages regularly with the sector to support build out.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Local Authorities have the right to move adults with disabilities to residential care away from their families and against the wishes of the individual and/or their families.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Under section 9(5) of the Care Act 2014, local authorities are required to involve the adult concerned and, where appropriate, their carers, family members, or others with an interest in their welfare, when carrying out a needs assessment and considering how care and support needs should be met.

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are also tasked with the duty to shape their care markets to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes commissioning a diverse range of care and support services that enable people to access quality care.

Local authorities should engage with people who draw on care and support, and their families and carers, to inform commissioning decisions and to consider the outcomes which matter to them. This is reflected in the Care and Support Statutory Guidance, which supports local authorities to fulfil their Care Act duties, including expectations around involvement and co‑production with people who draw on care and support and their families.

Under the Health and Care Act 2022, the Care Quality Commission has a statutory duty to assess how well local authorities are delivering their adult social care duties.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Israeli counterpart on the potential impact of withheld tax revenues for the Palestinian Authority on the education of Palestinian children in the West Bank.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We regularly raise concerns about civilian casualties with Israeli counterparts and continue to call for full adherence to international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers, and for any alleged incidents to be investigated transparently. The UK is also concerned by the worsening economic situation in Palestine and have urged the Government of Israel to release withheld tax and clearance revenues to the Palestinian Authority. We also continue to work with international partners to support implementation of the Palestinian Authority's reform commitments.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made diplomatic representations to her Israeli counterpart on the withholding of tax revenues collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We regularly raise concerns about civilian casualties with Israeli counterparts and continue to call for full adherence to international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers, and for any alleged incidents to be investigated transparently. The UK is also concerned by the worsening economic situation in Palestine and have urged the Government of Israel to release withheld tax and clearance revenues to the Palestinian Authority. We also continue to work with international partners to support implementation of the Palestinian Authority's reform commitments.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic representations she has made to her Israeli counterpart on reports of civilian casualties in the Gaza strip since the October ceasefire.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We regularly raise concerns about civilian casualties with Israeli counterparts and continue to call for full adherence to international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers, and for any alleged incidents to be investigated transparently. The UK is also concerned by the worsening economic situation in Palestine and have urged the Government of Israel to release withheld tax and clearance revenues to the Palestinian Authority. We also continue to work with international partners to support implementation of the Palestinian Authority's reform commitments.

Valentina Gomez and the protection of public order and community cohesion

Palestinian Nakba commemoration march

Use of restraint of children in the asylum system removal process

Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules (No. 2)

Health and Social Care

Israel’s treatment of Palestinian prisoners

Bermuda and oil industry tax

Changes to State Pension age affecting 1950s-born women