Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the answer to Question 104985, whether the Government is aware of which independent audit firm the Palestinian Authority has contracted to complete the review of curriculum reform.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I currently have nothing further to add to the previous answer to which the Hon Member refers in his question. As and when there is further information to report on this matter, I will update him and other Members accordingly.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the (a) revenue from the international student levy on higher education providers’ income from international students and (b) cost of introducing maintenance grants for the most disadvantaged students.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The International Student Levy (ISL) will require higher education providers to pay a flat fee of £925 per international student per year. An impact analysis of the ISL published in November 2025 estimated that the levy would raise £445 million in the 2028/29 financial year, rising to £480 million in 2030/31. The full impact analysis is available here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/international-student-levy-unit/international-student-levy/supporting_documents/international-student-levy-impact-analysispdf.
Proceeds from the ISL will be fully reinvested into higher education and skills, to support the reintroduction of targeted maintenance grants, progression through the post-16 system, and for wider skills. This will make sure that revenue from international students directly benefits domestic students from low-income households.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that reintroduced maintenance grants reach students who need them most; what proportion of the student population will be eligible for support; and what steps she is taking to ensure take-up rates among students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to attend higher education. This is why we are reintroducing maintenance grants for students from low-income households studying courses aligned with the government’s Missions and the Industrial Strategy. Maintenance grants will be available to new and continuing full-time students from the 2028/29 academic year. Students who have a household residual income of £25,000 or less will receive the maximum grant of £1,000 per year.
The proportion of students that receive maintenance grants will depend on the list of eligible subjects, and it is vital that this is informed by the best and most up-to-date evidence on future employment and skills priorities. The full list of eligible subjects will be confirmed in advance of maintenance grant introduction, helping raise awareness amongst prospective students.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how the siting and operation of the proposed new vehicle base will improve the logistical servicing of Derwentside IRC; and what interim arrangements are being made to improve escorting and transport moves to and from Derwentside IRC.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The current service delivery model for immigration escorting is to locate vehicle bases at or near Immigration Removal Centres, where most escorting movements begin and end. The nearest vehicle base to Derwentside IRC is currently more than 100 miles away, which makes servicing the centre logistically challenging. Once operational, the new vehicle base is expected to improve escorting efficiency for that location.
Until the vehicle base is operational, escorting requirements will continue to be met through other vehicle bases, supported by the flexible deployment of staff / vehicles and close coordination with our contracted escorting provider to ensure movements are carried out safely and securely and in a timely manner.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps are being taken to prevent organisations with extreme proximity to sanctioned groups, individuals, and jurisdictions from establishing UK-registered companies.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The nature of any association with sanctioned persons or jurisdictions can vary considerably, and such links do not, in themselves, prevent an organisation or its directors from establishing a lawful UK company. Nor does the existence of such an association automatically indicate improper intent. Companies House applies a proportionate, risk-based approach and acts where there is evidence of unlawful activity. The Registrar has powers to require information, share intelligence with enforcement partners, and strike off a company if false or misleading information is included in the incorporation application.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the views and lived experience of teenagers and young adults with cancer are being incorporated into his forthcoming national cancer plan; and how their involvement will be reflected in the plan’s publication and launch.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is committed to improving outcomes for teenagers and young adults with cancer. The Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce was relaunched on 4 February 2025 to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for young cancer patients. The taskforce will explore opportunities for improvement in England, including detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience. The taskforce will ensure that the unique needs of children and young people, including teenagers and young adults with cancer, are carefully considered as part of the forthcoming National Cancer Plan.
The Government is committed to including the views and lived experience of teenagers and young adults in the National Cancer Plan. That is why the Department has worked with the Children and Young People Cancer taskforce members to assemble a Patient Experience Panel of people with lived experience of cancer. The panel is made up of a diverse group, including parents of children with cancer, young adults who were diagnosed with cancer as teenagers, and those who were diagnosed as children.
As part of the Department’s engagement to inform the development of the forthcoming National Cancer Plan, officials from the Department’s cancer team have worked closely with patient organisations, clinicians, and cancer partners, and has considered over 11,000 responses to the call for evidence. These included submissions from Teenage Cancer Trust, Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, Young Lives vs Cancer, CCLG: The Children and Young People's Cancer Association, and so on.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the risk that electric buses operating in the UK could be remotely rendered inoperable via their internet-connected systems by hostile state actors.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government takes national security seriously and recognises the systematic challenges of increased connectivity and the cyber security implications for almost every area of government policy, including vehicles. My Department works closely with the transport sector and other government departments to understand and respond to cyber vulnerabilities for all transport modes.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2025 to Question 98592, what independent audit firm the Palestinian Authority has contracted to complete the review of curriculum reform; and which grades that audit will cover.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It will be for the Palestinian Authority to publish the full details of their audit, including the firm hired to conduct it, and we will assess the reliability of that audit based on the information published.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made on developing a policy for the active engagement of unmanned aerial systems.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) works closely with partners across Government on a range of Counter-Uncrewed Aerial Systems (C-UAS) issues. The Home Office is responsible for C-UAS policy and strategy in the Homeland during peacetime. During wartime, C-UAS policy falls under the Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) framework, which the MOD is responsible for. The process of providing Military Aid to the Civil Authority (MACA) is well established and ensures a robust framework under which Defence capabilities may be used to support Other Government Departments.
In terms of legislation, work is underway to develop a suitable legislative framework that will enable Defence personnel to operate authorised equipment to protect critical Defence property and activities from the threat of UAS.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there are any formal agreements in place with allied nations for the provision of ground-based air defence for the UK homeland.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK is a NATO ally and participant in the NATO Integrated Air Defence System (NATINAMDS) a network of interconnected national and NATO systems comprising sensors, command and control facilities, and weapon systems. This system allows the UK to exchange information with Allied nations on a reciprocal basis, to improve sensor coverage and reaction times across the Alliance. Although there are no formal agreements for the provision of effectors of allied nations to be used to defend the UK homeland. NATO has the ability to position assigned or apportioned ground-based air defence effectors in response to emerging threats.