Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the threshold will be for an EHC needs assessment and an EHC plan under the proposed reforms set out in the consultation, SEND reform: Putting children and young people first.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
We propose in future only children and young people who require the support of a Specialist Provision Package (SPP) will be eligible for an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan.
The provision offer set out in the Specialist Provision Packages will underpin the entitlements in an EHC plan, and we propose that only those children and young people who need a Specialist Provision Package will have an EHC plan in future.
These Packages will be developed by experts, including with parents, and overseen by an independent panel of experts which the department has now appointed. The panel will be responsible for developing and reviewing the National Inclusion Standards and Specialist Provision Packages, improving the quality of evidence across the across the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system and ensuring alignment between the layers of support.
We are committed to co-designing the needs assessment process for those who may need the support of an EHC plan and a Package, including working with families, children and young people, educators and health and care experts. We will strengthen the needs assessment process so it is clearer, simpler and reflects the voice of parents, carers and the child or young person.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how the provision set out in Individual Support Plans for children with SEND under the potential reforms proposed in the consultation, SEND reform: Putting children and young people first, would be enforced.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The Individual Support Plan (ISP) is intended as a clear and consistent record of a child or young person's needs and the support they receive, helping settings and families understand what support is being put in place, track outcomes and determine whether support is improving these.
Where there are concerns about provision, the proposals are that parents and young people will be able to resolve this directly with the setting, including making use of the improved schools complaints process if necessary. The department will seek to strengthen the school complaints system with the inclusion of an appropriate, independent special educational needs and disabilities specialist on the complaints panel.
The use and quality of ISPs will be considered in Ofsted inspections, with clear routes for parents to raise concerns, and we expect governors will sample ISPs. The department will update relevant guidance for governors and trust boards to provide further information.
Our reforms are still proposals and not final decisions. The government's consultation on 'SEND reform: putting children and young people first’ has now closed. We are reviewing consultation responses alongside feedback from over 200 engagement events we held over 12 weeks.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the total annual value of inward investment attributable to international students in each of the last five years; and what the average contribution of international student was in each of those years.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is committed to a United Kingdom that is outward looking and welcomes international students who make a positive contribution to the UK’s higher education (HE) sector, our economy and society as a whole.
The Higher Education Statistics Agency is responsible for collecting and publishing data on the UK HE sector. These data are shared with the department and include a wide range of information on UK HE providers, such as the income they receive through tuition fees.
Between the 2020/21 and 2024/25 academic years, HE tuition fee income that is attributed to international students in the UK steadily increased from £8.81 billion to £12.40 billion.
The average tuition fee income per international student at UK HE providers increased from £14,700 in the 2020/21 academic year to £18,100 in the 2024/25 academic year. More information on international tuition fee income is available at: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/finances/table-6.
The department produces estimates of UK revenue from education-related exports and transnational education activity. The latest available estimates are for 2022.
International students generated £21.06 in HE exports in 2022 through tuition fees and living expenditure. In 2018, they generated £14.93. More information on total HE education exports is available in the table below.
Calendar year | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
Total HE exports (inclusive of fee income) (£ billion) | £14.93 | £16.66 | £18.71 | £19.84 | £21.06 |
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to reform the student finance system; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) reintroducing maintenance grants on a universal basis and (b) a full review of undergraduate and postgraduate loan structures, including Plan 2 and Plan 5 loans.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is taking decisive action to make the student loans system fairer. We are capping Plan 2 and Plan 3 interest rates for 2026/27 to protect borrowers from the risk of inflation shocks; future-proofing maintenance loans by increasing them in-line with forecast inflation every year; and reintroducing targeted, means-tested maintenance grants of up to £1,000 per year from 2028/29, funded by a new levy on providers for international students.
Maintenance grants will be available to students studying subjects that support the government’s missions and the Industrial Strategy, in-line with our ambition to deliver a more sustainable, more specialised and more efficient higher education sector, better aligned with the needs of our economy.
We are continuing to look at ways to make the system fairer for students, graduates, taxpayers and the sector, while keeping our higher education system financially sustainable so it can deliver now and for future generations.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that staff who process Universal Credit advances take into consideration arrears owed to claimants by his Department.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department recognises the importance of ensuring that Universal Credit support is delivered fairly and takes account of individual claimant circumstances.
Staff who process Universal Credit advances are expected to follow established guidance and consider all relevant information held on a claimant’s record when determining eligibility and affordability. This includes ensuring that any known issues affecting a claimant’s financial position are taken into account.
Where arrears are owed to a claimant, DWP is committed to resolving these as quickly as possible. Guidance for staff emphasises the need to take a holistic view of a claimant’s situation, including any outstanding payments, when considering advances and recovery arrangements.
DWP continues to keep its processes and guidance under review to ensure they remain fair, proportionate and responsive to claimants’ needs. This includes ongoing staff training and operational improvements to support consistent decision-making.
Where a claimant believes that relevant information has not been taken into account, they can raise this through their Universal Credit account or request a review so that their individual circumstances can be fully considered.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the quality of communications materials about student loans and their terms, in particular the communication of risk and long-term costs to vulnerable students; and what steps she will take to help ensure full transparency about the cost of these loans.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Prospective students have access to a wide range of information across a range of platforms before they submit their loan application including, but not limited to, GOV.UK, where students can access the student finance calculator, Student Loan Company (SLC) guidance and university prospectus.
Students can also access The Student Room webpage, where SLC provide articles on student loans and staff from SLC are available in the online forums to answer direct questions from individual students five days a week.
Access to this information up-front ensures that prospective students can weigh up the likely overall costs and benefits to them of undertaking higher education, alongside the financial cost of repayment across the length of the loan period. Additionally, for those who may still be unclear about the long-term commitment of a student loan, a potential borrower may seek other independent advice before accepting the terms and conditions.
The government is capping the maximum interest rates on Plan 2 and 3 student loans at 6% for the 2026/27 academic year. It does not resolve all of the issues with the Plan 2 system, which was designed and implemented by previous government. We are considering how to make the system fairer, but to be fiscally responsible we must consider how any change would be funded.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take action to review and reform student loan repayment terms, including (a) unfreezing the repayment threshold, (b) reviewing the current application of interest rates, and (c) abolishing or capping interest.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Prospective students have access to a wide range of information across a range of platforms before they submit their loan application including, but not limited to, GOV.UK, where students can access the student finance calculator, Student Loan Company (SLC) guidance and university prospectus.
Students can also access The Student Room webpage, where SLC provide articles on student loans and staff from SLC are available in the online forums to answer direct questions from individual students five days a week.
Access to this information up-front ensures that prospective students can weigh up the likely overall costs and benefits to them of undertaking higher education, alongside the financial cost of repayment across the length of the loan period. Additionally, for those who may still be unclear about the long-term commitment of a student loan, a potential borrower may seek other independent advice before accepting the terms and conditions.
The government is capping the maximum interest rates on Plan 2 and 3 student loans at 6% for the 2026/27 academic year. It does not resolve all of the issues with the Plan 2 system, which was designed and implemented by previous government. We are considering how to make the system fairer, but to be fiscally responsible we must consider how any change would be funded.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce the length of time taken to complete security vetting for Probation Service staff.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The checks that HM Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) undertake are required to assess individuals against a range of legislative requirements and security related factors that are pertinent to anyone working within a HMPPS environment. We are aware of an increase in onboarding timescales and are taking action to address this.
Both our third-party provider Sopra Steria Ltd (SSL) and HMPPS are employing flexible resource allocation and overtime to mitigate delays. Recruitment to the vetting team has also been prioritised, and the additional resource is now helping to reduce the backlog of cases awaiting clearance. HMPPS is working with SSL and providers to improve assessment of future recruitment activity, to ensure any spikes or increases can be managed appropriately.
Additionally, HMPPS is exploring all available opportunities for efficiencies, including by digitalising processes that were previously manual and conducting vetting checks in parallel with other parts of the onboarding process wherever possible.
We are taking all available opportunities to improve the timeliness of our vetting and onboarding process without compromising the safety and security of the organisation.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much the 30-year contract to Design, Build, Finance and Operate (DBFO) the A1(M) has cost the public finances during each financial year of the concession up to 31 March 2026, and to provide these costs in terms of actual spending in pounds for each year, rather than normalised to any other year.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The costs associated with the A1(M) Alconbury to Peterborough DBFO contract vary by year and reflect actual payments made during the concession. Annual expenditure ranged from £5.8 million in 1996‑97 to a forecast £30.6 million for 2025‑26, with a total forecast cost to public finances of approximately £709.5 million over the 30-year concession period.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will take legislative steps to bring into force section 63 and schedule 30 of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS65) made on 21 May 2026.