Asked by: Valerie Vaz (Labour - Walsall and Bloxwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to UIN 109087 and the answer of 2 February 2026, what the funding is for Oak National Academy for 2026/2027 and 2027/2028; and when it will be published.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department has allocated a budget of £22.8 million to Oak National Academy (Oak) for the 2026/27 financial year. The level of funding for the 2027/28 financial year will be confirmed through the department’s business planning process. This funding is being allocated to Oak to enable it to carry out announced activities, which include the updating of its materials to align with the refreshed national curriculum, Oak technical support for the department’s development of the digital curriculum, and redevelopment of Oak’s reception-year resources.
Asked by: Valerie Vaz (Labour - Walsall and Bloxwich)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the levels of planned higher education spending on particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics science on that sector.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) supports particle physics, astronomy, and nuclear physics (PPAN) via the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) PPAN programme. STFC spending on the PPAN programme was £198 million in 2023/24 and £199 million in 2025/26. These figures reflect direct programme funding; further investment is delivered through international subscriptions and infrastructure, which are managed separately.
More broadly, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has committed a record £58.5 billion investment in R&D over the next 4 years, including £38.6 billion for UKRI. STFC’s core budget is being maintained, rising from £835 million in 2025/26 to £842 million in 2029/30. Applicant-led research grants will increase from £83 million in 2026/27 to £90 million in 2029/30.
STFC faces cost pressures from rising energy, inflation, foreign exchange, and ambitious commitments from the previous SR and must find savings relative to forecast operational costs. STFC has worked with the sector to model different spending scenarios for its PPAN portfolio. The impacts of different modelled scenarios across the broad and diverse range of STFC-funded facilities and programmes will be considered alongside feedback from the sector to inform final decisions.
DSIT has asked UKRI to ensure that its specific investment decisions are informed by meaningful consultation with the scientific research community and a robust assessment of potential consequences for the UK’s scientific capability, research institutions and international standing.
Asked by: Valerie Vaz (Labour - Walsall and Bloxwich)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much her Department spent supporting particle physics astronomy and nuclear physics science in (a) 2025/2026 and (b) 2023/24.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) supports particle physics, astronomy, and nuclear physics (PPAN) via the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) PPAN programme. STFC spending on the PPAN programme was £198 million in 2023/24 and £199 million in 2025/26. These figures reflect direct programme funding; further investment is delivered through international subscriptions and infrastructure, which are managed separately.
More broadly, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has committed a record £58.5 billion investment in R&D over the next 4 years, including £38.6 billion for UKRI. STFC’s core budget is being maintained, rising from £835 million in 2025/26 to £842 million in 2029/30. Applicant-led research grants will increase from £83 million in 2026/27 to £90 million in 2029/30.
STFC faces cost pressures from rising energy, inflation, foreign exchange, and ambitious commitments from the previous SR and must find savings relative to forecast operational costs. STFC has worked with the sector to model different spending scenarios for its PPAN portfolio. The impacts of different modelled scenarios across the broad and diverse range of STFC-funded facilities and programmes will be considered alongside feedback from the sector to inform final decisions.
DSIT has asked UKRI to ensure that its specific investment decisions are informed by meaningful consultation with the scientific research community and a robust assessment of potential consequences for the UK’s scientific capability, research institutions and international standing.
Asked by: Valerie Vaz (Labour - Walsall and Bloxwich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will have discussions with her US counterparts of British nationals who have an active green card application on the potential impact of the proposal that people wishing to apply for a green card have to do so at a US Embassy or Consulate.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
US immigration policy is a matter for the US authorities. Our Embassy in Washington works closely with US officials to understand how their policies impact British citizens and we update UK travel advice accordingly.
Asked by: Valerie Vaz (Labour - Walsall and Bloxwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on Oak National Academy’s plans for spending unspent money from the £53 million grant it received from the Government in the last three years.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
For financial years 2022/23 to 2024/25, Oak National Academy (Oak) was allocated funding of £47 million. Any in-year underspend by Oak is returned to the department and reallocated to other education priorities, as with all other programmes.
The government has publicly announced Oak’s future scope, including its updating of materials to align with the refreshed national curriculum, its technical support for the department’s development of the digital curriculum, and Oak’s redevelopment of reception year resources. The precise level of funding for this work is being agreed through the department’s business planning process. Oak’s remit and funding for the coming year will be set out in a published letter to the Chair of the Oak Board.
In September 2025, we published the findings of an independent review and a market impact assessment of Oak which examined the effectiveness of the organisation and the extent to which it is meeting its strategic aims and delivering value for money. The reports have informed the government’s decisions about the future remit and funding of Oak and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/oak-national-academy-independent-review-and-market-impact-assessment. Oak has also published an independent evaluation at: https://www.thenational.academy/about-us/meet-the-team#documents.
Asked by: Valerie Vaz (Labour - Walsall and Bloxwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness and value for money of the £53 million spent on the Oak National Academy in the last three years, in the context of levels of financial pressures on schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
For financial years 2022/23 to 2024/25, Oak National Academy (Oak) was allocated funding of £47 million. Any in-year underspend by Oak is returned to the department and reallocated to other education priorities, as with all other programmes.
The government has publicly announced Oak’s future scope, including its updating of materials to align with the refreshed national curriculum, its technical support for the department’s development of the digital curriculum, and Oak’s redevelopment of reception year resources. The precise level of funding for this work is being agreed through the department’s business planning process. Oak’s remit and funding for the coming year will be set out in a published letter to the Chair of the Oak Board.
In September 2025, we published the findings of an independent review and a market impact assessment of Oak which examined the effectiveness of the organisation and the extent to which it is meeting its strategic aims and delivering value for money. The reports have informed the government’s decisions about the future remit and funding of Oak and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/oak-national-academy-independent-review-and-market-impact-assessment. Oak has also published an independent evaluation at: https://www.thenational.academy/about-us/meet-the-team#documents.
Asked by: Valerie Vaz (Labour - Walsall and Bloxwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to increase levels of transparency on the Oak National Academy's future funding and scope, in the context of the absence of a public consultation.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
For financial years 2022/23 to 2024/25, Oak National Academy (Oak) was allocated funding of £47 million. Any in-year underspend by Oak is returned to the department and reallocated to other education priorities, as with all other programmes.
The government has publicly announced Oak’s future scope, including its updating of materials to align with the refreshed national curriculum, its technical support for the department’s development of the digital curriculum, and Oak’s redevelopment of reception year resources. The precise level of funding for this work is being agreed through the department’s business planning process. Oak’s remit and funding for the coming year will be set out in a published letter to the Chair of the Oak Board.
In September 2025, we published the findings of an independent review and a market impact assessment of Oak which examined the effectiveness of the organisation and the extent to which it is meeting its strategic aims and delivering value for money. The reports have informed the government’s decisions about the future remit and funding of Oak and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/oak-national-academy-independent-review-and-market-impact-assessment. Oak has also published an independent evaluation at: https://www.thenational.academy/about-us/meet-the-team#documents.
Asked by: Valerie Vaz (Labour - Walsall and Bloxwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help address concerns raised in relation to the Judicial Review of Oak National Academy by (a) education unions, (b) publishers, (c) authors and (d) any other educational suppliers.
Answered by Olivia Bailey
I cannot comment on the Judicial Review of Oak National Academy, which is ongoing.
Asked by: Valerie Vaz (Labour - Walsall and Bloxwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her Answer of 2 February 2026 to Question 109084, on Free Schools, what information her Department holds on the reasons for Walsall Council's payment of £1million to the Department for Education; and whether this formed part of her criteria for approval of the Swift Academy.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The payment represents a contribution towards the capital costs of developing the school site, as has happened with a number of free school projects. It is included within an agreement with the local authority, signed prior to the commencement of the pipeline review. This contribution did not form part of the decision-making process.
Asked by: Valerie Vaz (Labour - Walsall and Bloxwich)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many students have claimed asylum (a) while studying in the UK and (b) after completing their studies in each of the last three years.
Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the number of people claiming asylum after holding a study visa as their most recent category of leave prior to claiming asylum is published in table Asy_D01a of the ‘Asylum claims and decisions detailed datasets’. The latest data relates to the year ending September 2025. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook.
There is no published breakdown available on whether an individual claimed asylum before or after their visa expired.