Written questions by Snowden.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the introduction of the Electronic Travel Authorisation requirement from 25 February 2026 on dual British nationals travelling to the UK.

We have been clear on the requirement for dual British citizens to travel with a valid British passport or Certificate of Entitlement. This requirement applies equally to all British citizens, whether or not they hold another nationality. We recognise the enforcement of ETAs by carriers is a significant change, and so we have provided additional temporary guidance to carriers on possible alternative documentation, and have put in place around the clock support for carriers to prepare for these changes. In line with current practice, on arrival at the UK border, Border Force will still assess a person’s eligibility to enter the UK and conduct additional checks if required.

With reference to the press release entitled Over £17 million saved in past six months through government office closures, published on 23 February 2026, whether the estimated annual savings from closing three central London offices are net of (a) transition, (b) refit and (c) redundancy costs.

The savings from the three central London office closures relate to the annual property running costs. They have not been adjusted for any one-off transition, refit, or redundancy costs.

Communities and Local Government, what conditions are attached to the Exceptional Financial Support granted to councils in 2026; and whether those conditions include requirements for (a) asset disposals, (b) service reductions and (c) workforce restructuring.

This government is delivering fairer funding, targeting money where it is needed most through the first multi-year Settlement in a decade. However, delivering reform will take time, and the government recognises the challenging financial context for local authorities as they continue to deal with the legacy of the previous flawed system. On 23 February government published details of Exceptional Financial Support provided to a number of councils to help them set balanced budgets for 2026-27. Full details of all support agreed under the Exceptional Financial Support process since 2020-21 are available on GOV.UK. As a requirement of support, the government will be seeking additional external assurance on all of these councils to support local improvement as well as provide an assessment on the actions each council is taking locally to manage its position.

Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities have applied for Exceptional Financial Support in each financial year since 2020; and what the total value of support approved has been in each year.

This government is delivering fairer funding, targeting money where it is needed most through the first multi-year Settlement in a decade. However, delivering reform will take time, and the government recognises the challenging financial context for local authorities as they continue to deal with the legacy of the previous flawed system. On 23 February government published details of Exceptional Financial Support provided to a number of councils to help them set balanced budgets for 2026-27. Full details of all support agreed under the Exceptional Financial Support process since 2020-21 are available on GOV.UK. As a requirement of support, the government will be seeking additional external assurance on all of these councils to support local improvement as well as provide an assessment on the actions each council is taking locally to manage its position.

How many child benefit enquiries were opened as a result of data-sharing between HMRC and Student Finance England to detect changes in the young person’s further education status; over what timeframe they were opened; and what the outcomes were.

For 16–19-year-olds included on Child Benefit claims, eligibility is reliant on them being in full-time non-advanced education or approved training. Data from Student Finance England helps HMRC identify when a young person included in a Child Benefit award may have moved into advanced education (degree level), where the claimant has not notified HMRC. In these circumstances, HMRC will conduct an enquiry with the customer to clarify their young person’s education status. Based on operational management information, which is subject to change, HMRC conducted enquiries with around 3,000 Child Benefit claimants since late 2023/24, to clarify their child’s education status. Around 2,800 of the enquires resulted in decisions to end the Child Benefit award.

How the £1.6 billion Inclusive Mainstream Fund will be allocated between (a) early years settings, (b) primary schools, (c) secondary schools and (d) post-16 institutions; and what accountability mechanisms will apply to that funding.

We will publish methodology documents to explain the funding distribution of the Inclusive Mainstream Fund for early years settings, schools and 16-19 institutions in the spring.In our recent publication 'SEND reform: putting children and young people first', we explained we will hold settings and trusts to account on how they take meaningful steps to invest in inclusion. More details can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-first.Schools will be required to explain their plans to use their overall funding allocation to embed inclusive practice through a published Inclusion Strategy. 16-19 institutions will be required to demonstrate how they will use their inclusion funding in their Accountability Agreements. In early years settings, local authorities will play a role in ensuring providers use their inclusion funding to support inclusive practice. We will provide further detail on these arrangements in the spring.

What steps the Competition and Markets Authority is taking to protect consumers from rogue traders, including those who provide substandard or fraudulent services.

The Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) decision-making is independent of government. Each parliament the government issues a Strategic Steer to the CMA setting out its priorities for the CMA and the wider policy objectives to which it should have regard. Information about the CMA's enforcement activities is available on its website.The Digital Markets Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA) strengthens consumer law enforcement by giving the CMA new administrative powers, and they and the courts are able to impose significant monetary penalties of up to 10% of turnover. The CMA recently used the fining powers for the first time against a trader that failed to comply with a legal information notice.Under the DMCCA, trader recommendation platforms must take reasonable steps to ensure consumer reviews on their sites are genuine. The CMA has published separate guidance for businesses that publish reviews to help meet their legal obligations.

What recent progress he has made on implementing the £500 million fair pay agreement for adult social care workers.

The consultation on the design of the Fair Pay Agreement process has now closed, however the Easy Read version remains open until 6 March to ensure everyone has the opportunity to contribute. We are analysing the responses and will set out our formal response in due course.We expect regulations establishing the negotiating body, bringing together employer and employee representatives, will be laid in 2026. We expect negotiations will be held in 2027. Once an agreement on how the funding should be spent has been reached, the Fair Pay Agreement will be implemented in 2028.

What discussions he has had with representative organisations, including Mencap, on the adequacy of social care charging reforms.

Last year, the Prime Minister asked Baroness Louise Casey of Blackstock to chair an independent commission into adult social care to look at how to build a social care system that is fit for the future, including how best to make it fair and affordable Baroness Casey and her team have been engaging extensively, putting the voices of people who draw on care and their families at the centre of the conversation, as well as meeting with sector organisations. Later this year, the commission will also launch a national conversation to build public consensus on what adult social care should deliver for citizens.

What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the compliance advice published by the Competition and Markets Authority for trader recommendation platforms in protecting consumers from misleading claims and unfair practices.

The Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) decision-making is independent of government. Each parliament the government issues a Strategic Steer to the CMA setting out its priorities for the CMA and the wider policy objectives to which it should have regard. Information about the CMA's enforcement activities is available on its website.The Digital Markets Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA) strengthens consumer law enforcement by giving the CMA new administrative powers, and they and the courts are able to impose significant monetary penalties of up to 10% of turnover. The CMA recently used the fining powers for the first time against a trader that failed to comply with a legal information notice.Under the DMCCA, trader recommendation platforms must take reasonable steps to ensure consumer reviews on their sites are genuine. The CMA has published separate guidance for businesses that publish reviews to help meet their legal obligations.

How many households in (i) Fylde constituency and (ii) across Lancashire will benefit from the Disabled Facilities Grant in 2026–27.

We have recently confirmed funding of £723 million for the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) in England in 2026/27. The full list of allocations, including for Fylde and Lancashire, can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/changing-the-way-government-allocates-disabled-facilities-grant-funding-to-local-authorities-in-england/outcome/changing-the-way-government-allocates-disabled-facilities-grant-funding-to-local-authorities-in-england-consultation-response#annex-a-list-of-local-authority-dfg-allocations-2026-27We do not know how many households will benefit in Fylde and Lancashire specifically, as- people apply for the grant locally and it is up to each local authority to manage their allocation whilst meeting their statutory duties. In 2024/25, the DFG supported nearly 60,000 people nationally to make adaptations to their homes, with an average grant of approximately £10,000.

If he will update Section 16 of the NHS Staff Terms and Conditions Handbook to clarify the impact of partial retirement on redundancy entitlements.

Contractual redundancy provisions for staff covered by the National Health Service terms and conditions of service handbook, also referred to as Agenda for Change, in England were agreed and ratified in partnership by the NHS Staff Council, the collective bargaining structure made up of trade union and employer representatives.There are no plans to update the handbook.

Whether he plans to introduce (a) transitional protection and (b) retrospective corrective measures for NHS staff who took partial retirement before formal guidance on its impact on redundancy entitlement was issued.

There are no plans to introduce transitional protections or retrospective corrective measures for National Health Service staff who took partial retirement before formal guidance on the impact of redundancy entitlement was issued.Contractual redundancy provisions for staff covered by the NHS terms and conditions of service handbook, also referred to as Agenda for Change, in England were agreed and ratified in partnership by the NHS Staff Council, the collective bargaining structure made up of trade union and employer representatives.Any future changes to the handbook, including this section, would require the department to issue a mandate to allow negotiations to be undertaken by the NHS Staff Council.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what financial or technical assistance her Department provides to support implementation of the Global Charter for Children’s Care Reform in Sri Lanka.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has committed to provide technical assistance to signatories of the Global Charter on Children's Care Reform, where needed, to support the development and implementation of national children's care reform commitments. This technical assistance can support activities such as developing national care reform strategies and action plans, strengthening laws and policies, building the capacity of the children's social care workforce, improving data and monitoring systems, and supporting the transition from institutional to family‑based care.

How many NHS staff who had taken partial retirement were placed at risk of redundancy between 1 April 2024 and 31 January 2026.

Data held by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) confirms that the number of staff who applied for partial retirement between 1 April 2024 and 31 January 2026 and are in receipt of payment is 32,271. This number includes NHS Pension scheme members across England and Wales who are employed by National Health Service organisations, including general practices.The Department does not hold data on the number of people who were also at risk of redundancy between this period. This data would be held at a local level by individual providers.

Pursuant to the written answer 907855 of 12 February 2026, if he will provide the data on (a) punctuality and (b) cancellations for (i) publicly owned and (ii) privately owned operators in each of the last five years.

Data on passenger rail performance, including both quarterly accredited official statistics and periodic management information on cancellations and punctuality for all Train Operating Companies (TOCs), is published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) on the ORR Data Portal. The Railways (Public Ownership) Act only came into effect in November 2024. Prior to this, operators run by the Department for Transport’s Operator of Last Resort (DfT OLR) were not recognised as being in “public ownership”, now referred to as the DfT Operator (DFTO). The profile of TOCs within DOLR and subsequently DFTO has changed over time and a five-year time series comparing “publicly owned” and “privately owned” operators would not provide a meaningful comparison. Table 1 shows the most recent comparative figures for the DFTO and DfT ‑ contracted operators for the 12 months to 3 Jan 2026 (Rail Period 10, 2025/26). Table 1. Performance of the DFT Operator1 and DfT-contracted2 operators in the 12 months to 3 Jan 2026 (Rail Period 10, 2025/26)GroupingsCancellationsTrains arriving within 3 minutes (percentage)DfT Operator (DFTO)13.1%83.0%DfT contracted Operators (private sector)2‑contracted4.5%81.9%Notes 1. During this period, seven TOCs were under the DfT Operator (DFTO) and seven were privately operated under DfT contracts. (West Midlands Trains did not transfer to DFTO until 1 February and is therefore included in the privately operated group for this period.)2. The following operators are outside the scope of this comparison, as they are contracted by devolved authorities: Transport for Wales Rail, Scotrail, Caledonian Sleeper, Merseyrail, Elizabeth line and London Overground. Open access operators are also excluded from this comparison.Source: DfT analysis of Table 3124 - Trains planned and cancellations by operator (periodic); Table 3138 - Train punctuality at recorded station stops by operator (periodic)

How many enquiries were opened as a result of data-sharing between HMRC and the DWP to identify when older children claim benefits in their own right; over what timeframe they were opened; and what the outcomes were.

DWP has long provided HMRC with information where older children receive benefits in their own right. Since 2024, this has been done through notifications of Universal Credit claims, replacing the previous approach which relied on Jobseeker’s Allowance and Income Support data. HMRC uses these notifications to stop Child Benefit awards in cases where a young person is receiving benefit in their own right. This prevents dual provision of government support for the same individual. Because the DWP data is notifying HMRC of clear evidence of a benefit award, rather than indicating a risk of this potential, it is approaching 100% effective for addressing this type of error and fraud. Based on operational management information, which is subject to change, over the last two years HMRC has closed around 3,000 Child Benefit awards following notifications from DWP that the young person was in receipt of Universal Credit.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of mandatory disclosure of unspent criminal convictions on rates of reoffending.

We are committed to helping people with convictions overcome barriers to employment and turn away from reoffending. The criminal records regime is designed to play a role in this process, balancing the need to safeguard the public, with enabling ex-offenders to rebuild their lives. We recognise, however, that disclosure requirements can impact on an individual’s chances to reintegrate into society. That is why the Deputy Prime Minister confirmed that we are considering the recommendation made by Sir Brian Leveson in his independent review of the Criminal Courts, including opportunities to simplify the regime to ensure it is clear and proportionate, particularly in relation to childhood offences. We are also committed to reducing barriers to employment in other ways, as we know that employment reduces the chance of reoffending significantly, by up to nine percentage points in the year following release. For example, last year we launched regional Employment Councils, which for the first time bring businesses together with prisons, probation and the Department of Work and Pensions to support offenders leaving prison back into work.

How much transport infrastructure funding per capita has been allocated to (a) mayoral combined authorities and (b) non-mayoral areas in the North West of England in the latest funding round.

As part of the Government’s Spending Review in June last year, the following capital funding totals have been allocated for transport infrastructure to local transport authorities, including Mayoral Strategic Authorities and non–mayoral authorities in the North West: Mayoral Strategic AuthoritiesGreater Manchester - £1.42 billion Integrated Settlement.Liverpool City Region - £0.9 billion Integrated Settlement. Non-Mayoral Strategic AuthorityLancashire - £571.5 million consolidated local transport funding. Devolution Priority Programme areasCheshire and Warrington - £385.3 million consolidated local transport funding.Cumbria - £383.3 million consolidated local transport funding. The funding allocated covers the period up to 31st March 2030 and has been allocated on a range of factors beyond population, including deprivation and road mileage.

Whether she plans to review funding arrangements for local authorities requiring increases in asylum accommodation procurement and refugee move-on responsibilities.

Funding arrangements for local authorities are subject to continuous review. Local authorities were informed of the 2025/26 asylum accommodation funding model. Information on the total amount paid to individual local authorities for DA is not currently publicly available on the GOV.UK websiteDiscussions regarding funding beyond this period are ongoing within the government, and we are currently awaiting approval for the 2026/27 funding based on similar conditions.