Written questions by Dodds.

How many and what percentage of undergraduate students who are parents with caring responsibilities receive the Childcare Grant.

The number of full-time undergraduates domiciled in England who received the Childcare Grant in 2024/25 was 42,900, rounded to the nearest hundred. This is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-support-for-higher-education-in-england-2025/student-support-for-higher-education-in-england-2025#childcare-grant It is not possible to report this as a percentage of parents with caring responsibilities as the department does not hold the total number of undergraduates who are parents with caring responsibilities. This is because declaration of caring responsibilities is optional and only required for applicants who wish to apply for Special Support Loans or Childcare Grants.

Food and Rural Affairs, what the (i) mean, (ii) median, (iii) fastest and (iv) slowest timelines were for the permitting of chemical (a) production and (b) processing sites by the Environment Agency over the last ten years.

The Environment Agency’s (EA) target assessment time to process chemical production or processing permit applications is 250 days. These permits are among the most complex the EA handles, involving thorough assessments to protect the environment and public, and to ensure operators are supported and can comply with necessary permit conditions.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the average length of time required for chemical (a) production and (b) processing sites to be permitted by the Environment Agency varies by region.

The Environment Agency’s (EA) target assessment time to process chemical production or processing permit applications is 250 days. These permits are among the most complex the EA handles, involving thorough assessments to protect the environment and public, and to ensure operators are supported and can comply with necessary permit conditions. Over the last 12 months the EA has issued within an average of 260 days.

Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to support the future roll-out of Young Futures hubs in a) Oxford East constituency, b) Oxfordshire, and c) England.

On Tuesday 15th July, the Prime Minister set out plans to open 50 hubs over the next four years in England. The local authorities for the first eight early adopter Young Futures Hubs were selected using knife crime and anti-social behaviour metrics to place them where they will benefit the most at-risk young people. They were published on gov.uk in December. Local Authorities will select the precise location of their Young Futures Hub based on local needs The locations for the remaining 42 Hubs will be determined in due course, using appropriate data and learning from the eight early adopter hubs. Further details will be provided in due course

What steps his Department is taking to support the roll-out of youth hubs in a) Oxford East constituency, b) Oxfordshire, and c) England.

The Government is committed to reducing the number of young people who are not in Education, Training or Employment. We have already taken the first steps towards delivering the Youth Guarantee, to ensure that all 16–24-year-olds in Great Britain can access support to find work, training, or an apprenticeship. This includes launching Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, announcing funding to almost double our Youth Hubs across Great Britain, and commissioning an Independent Report into Young People and Work, to identify potential areas for reform to better support young people with health conditions and disabilities. We are now going further through an expansion of the Youth Guarantee, backed by a £820 million investment over the next three years. This will reach almost 900,000 young people, including through the expansion of Youth Hubs to every area in Great Britain and the introduction of a new Youth Guarantee Gateway, offering a dedicated session and follow-up support to 16-24-year-olds on Universal Credit. This investment will also create around 300,000 additional opportunities to gain workplace experience and training. In addition, it will provide guaranteed jobs to around 55,000 young people aged 18-21. Young people in Oxford East are already supported through the Rose Hill Youth Hub, which offers job clubs, employability advice, mental health links, and employer-led events in partnership with Oxford City Council and Jobcentre Plus. Across Oxfordshire, Jobcentre Plus works with partners such as Abingdon and Witney College, Activate Learning, The Ethnic Minority Business Service, and Ruskin College to deliver tailored employability and sector-specific skills programmes aligned to local employer needs. This work is supported by the Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership through initiatives like employer engagement days. As per our ambition to expand Youth Hubs to every area of Great Britain over the next three years, we will work with partners in West and South Oxfordshire to explore new opportunities.

With reference to the Immigration White Paper S.221, if he will set out the timeframe for the implementation of measures against sponsors who fall short of their duties.

The current measures to tackle sponsors who fall short of their sponsorship duties can be found on Gov.uk in Part 3 of the guidance for sponsors: Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 3: sponsor duties and compliance (accessible) - GOV.UK These range from reducing a sponsor’s allocation of certificates of sponsorship to revoking their licence and, if necessary, reporting them to the relevant authorities for further investigation. The sponsor guidance is kept under close ongoing review, with enhancements to the relevant criteria made on an iterative basis.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that every child in care has their immigration status resolved before turning 18.

The Home Secretary set out in the Immigration White Paper published on 12 May that the Home Office will ensure children who have been in the UK for some time, turn 18 and discover they do not have status, are fully supported and able to regularise their status and settle where appropriate. This will also include a clear pathway for those children in care and care leavers.As part of this, separate targeted engagement will take place with external stakeholders to help us to understand the challenges in this area and develop a policy solution which supports children in care without status while upholding the need to have a robust and coherent migration system. Children who have claimed asylum are dealt with under separate provisions.A range of reforms are underway across the immigration and asylum system, and the development of a clear pathway to settlement for children in care and care leavers must be considered alongside these changes.Further detail on this will be set out in due course.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of not resolving the immigration status of children in care before they turn 18.

The Home Secretary set out in the Immigration White Paper published on 12 May that the Home Office will ensure children who have been in the UK for some time, turn 18 and discover they do not have status, are fully supported and able to regularise their status and settle where appropriate. This will also include a clear pathway for those children in care and care leavers.As part of this, separate targeted engagement will take place with external stakeholders to help us to understand the challenges in this area and develop a policy solution which supports children in care without status while upholding the need to have a robust and coherent migration system. Children who have claimed asylum are dealt with under separate provisions.A range of reforms are underway across the immigration and asylum system, and the development of a clear pathway to settlement for children in care and care leavers must be considered alongside these changes.Further detail on this will be set out in due course.

With reference to the Immigration White Paper S.221, what specific measures are in place or being developed to tackle sponsors who fall short of their responsibilities.

The current measures to tackle sponsors who fall short of their sponsorship duties can be found on Gov.uk in Part 3 of the guidance for sponsors: Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 3: sponsor duties and compliance (accessible) - GOV.UK These range from reducing a sponsor’s allocation of certificates of sponsorship to revoking their licence and, if necessary, reporting them to the relevant authorities for further investigation. The sponsor guidance is kept under close ongoing review, with enhancements to the relevant criteria made on an iterative basis.

What steps he is taking to support young people into employment, education or training in a) Oxford East constituency, b) Oxfordshire, and c) England.

The Government is committed to reducing the number of young people who are not in Education, Training or Employment. We have already taken the first steps towards delivering the Youth Guarantee, to ensure that all 16–24-year-olds in Great Britain can access support to find work, training, or an apprenticeship. This includes launching Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, announcing funding to almost double our Youth Hubs across Great Britain, and commissioning an Independent Report into Young People and Work, to identify potential areas for reform to better support young people with health conditions and disabilities. We are now going further through an expansion of the Youth Guarantee, backed by a £820 million investment over the next three years. This will reach almost 900,000 young people, including through the expansion of Youth Hubs to every area in Great Britain and the introduction of a new Youth Guarantee Gateway, offering a dedicated session and follow-up support to 16-24-year-olds on Universal Credit. This investment will also create around 300,000 additional opportunities to gain workplace experience and training. In addition, it will provide guaranteed jobs to around 55,000 young people aged 18-21. Young people in Oxford East are already supported through the Rose Hill Youth Hub, which offers job clubs, employability advice, mental health links, and employer-led events in partnership with Oxford City Council and Jobcentre Plus. Across Oxfordshire, Jobcentre Plus works with partners such as Abingdon and Witney College, Activate Learning, The Ethnic Minority Business Service, and Ruskin College to deliver tailored employability and sector-specific skills programmes aligned to local employer needs. This work is supported by the Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership through initiatives like employer engagement days. As per our ambition to expand Youth Hubs to every area of Great Britain over the next three years, we will work with partners in West and South Oxfordshire to explore new opportunities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the time taken for the permitting of chemical (a) production and (b) processing sites by the Environment Agency on the economy.

The Environment Agency continues to review and enhance its permitting processes through its improvement programme to improve timescales and the process for applicants.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what data her Department holds on the breakdown by age of the impact of changes in levels of overseas development aid.

Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) are an essential part of how we make decisions on Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations. The 2025/26 EIA, as published on gov.uk captures the impacts on children where these were reported at programme level. We will continue to track spend on equalities and plan to improve the availability and use of data. As part of this, we will consider how we measure impacts on relevant age groups, as this is not something we have done previously.

How many consolation payments have been offered, per annum for the last ten years, to benefits claimants whose cases are mishandled or excessively delayed.

The number of consolatory payments authorised and the mean amounts per financial year to benefit claimants in the last ten years are in the table (below). The department records aggregated data for each quarter rather than individual level payments, therefore we are not able to supply a mode amount paid without additional work which would require disproportionate cost. Consolatory payments recognise personal impacts such as gross inconvenience or severe distress. Complaints to DWP have increased year on year in-line with increases in caseloads, as well as the department continuing to improve its handling processes. The rise in special payments made to recognise impacts on customers’ well‑being, reflects better acknowledgement of when service has fallen short. Financial YearQuantity AuthorisedNet Amount PaidMean Net Amount Paid2015/162170£142,025£652016/172100£135,535£652017/182705£206,515£752018/193115£215,695£702019/203115£235,680£752020/213150£294,315£952021/226480£525,855£802022/237860£658,810£852023/247120£680,540£952024/256445£639,535£100 Notes:Data is rounded to the nearest 5This data is available from internal operational datasets, but not from an Official or National statistic quality source The department does not keep a breakdown of consolatory payments awarded by region.

Whether his Department keeps a regional breakdown of the number of consolation payments made.

The number of consolatory payments authorised and the mean amounts per financial year to benefit claimants in the last ten years are in the table (below). The department records aggregated data for each quarter rather than individual level payments, therefore we are not able to supply a mode amount paid without additional work which would require disproportionate cost. Consolatory payments recognise personal impacts such as gross inconvenience or severe distress. Complaints to DWP have increased year on year in-line with increases in caseloads, as well as the department continuing to improve its handling processes. The rise in special payments made to recognise impacts on customers’ well‑being, reflects better acknowledgement of when service has fallen short. Financial YearQuantity AuthorisedNet Amount PaidMean Net Amount Paid2015/162170£142,025£652016/172100£135,535£652017/182705£206,515£752018/193115£215,695£702019/203115£235,680£752020/213150£294,315£952021/226480£525,855£802022/237860£658,810£852023/247120£680,540£952024/256445£639,535£100 Notes:Data is rounded to the nearest 5This data is available from internal operational datasets, but not from an Official or National statistic quality source The department does not keep a breakdown of consolatory payments awarded by region.

What the mean and mode amounts of consolation payments are, in any years his Department has data for.

The number of consolatory payments authorised and the mean amounts per financial year to benefit claimants in the last ten years are in the table (below). The department records aggregated data for each quarter rather than individual level payments, therefore we are not able to supply a mode amount paid without additional work which would require disproportionate cost. Consolatory payments recognise personal impacts such as gross inconvenience or severe distress. Complaints to DWP have increased year on year in-line with increases in caseloads, as well as the department continuing to improve its handling processes. The rise in special payments made to recognise impacts on customers’ well‑being, reflects better acknowledgement of when service has fallen short. Financial YearQuantity AuthorisedNet Amount PaidMean Net Amount Paid2015/162170£142,025£652016/172100£135,535£652017/182705£206,515£752018/193115£215,695£702019/203115£235,680£752020/213150£294,315£952021/226480£525,855£802022/237860£658,810£852023/247120£680,540£952024/256445£639,535£100 Notes:Data is rounded to the nearest 5This data is available from internal operational datasets, but not from an Official or National statistic quality source The department does not keep a breakdown of consolatory payments awarded by region.

What steps she is taking to regulate the sale and purchase of private escooters.

Under existing legislation, businesses are responsible for ensuring the products they place on the UK market, including e-scooters, are safe. When selling e-scooters, retailers must be clear that they can only be used on private land with the landowner’s permission. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Market Surveillance Unit carries out surveillance of e-scooter retailers to ensure they are being sold lawfully and that retailers are making legal restrictions on e-scooter use sufficiently clear. The Product Regulation and Metrology Act, which secured Royal Assent this July, has created powers that will allow government to set specific product regulations and labelling requirements, and hold online marketplaces to account to prevent the illegal sale of e-scooters.

What steps she is taking to support the police in taking enforcement action against the illegal use of (a) ebikes and (b) escooters.

Tackling anti-social behaviour and the harm it causes is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.The police have a suite of powers available to them to tackle the illegal use of e-bikes and e-scooters and we expect police to deploy them appropriately.The Crime and Policing Bill will give police greater powers to clamp down on anti-social behaviour involving vehicles including e-bikes and e-scooters, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizure. This will allow police to put an immediate stop to offending.The Government also recently consulted on proposals to allow the police to dispose of seized vehicles quicker, including e-bikes and privately owned e-scooters, which have been used anti-socially or illegally.These combined measures will help tackle the scourge of e-bikes and e-scooters ridden anti-socially or illegally and will send a clear message to would-be offenders and local communities that this behaviour will not be tolerated.Enforcement of road traffic law, including in relation to the illegal use of e-bikes and e-scooters, are operational matter for Chief Constables in partnership with Police and Crime Commissioners who decide how to deploy available resources, taking into account any specific local problems and demands.

When she intends to publish the Government's formal response to the consultation on pavement parking published on 31 August 2020.

The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to the 2020 pavement parking consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response as soon as possible.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to incorporate transnational repression into the UK’s human rights reporting frameworks.

The UK is committed to promoting and protecting human rights, democracy and the rule of law, and we monitor the infringement of human rights across the world, including instances of transnational repression (TNR). Working in coordination with partners, we employ a range of measures to counter the threats presented by TNR, including operational, policy, and legal tools, and we take very seriously the need to protect the rights, freedoms, and safety of individuals in the UK from TNR.

What data her Department collects on incidents of transnational repression.

We continually assess potential threats in the UK using a multi-source model, drawing on intelligence assessments, engagement with international partners, and insights from civil society and affected individuals. In 2024, policing introduced a new recording system to capture reports that may include foreign interference, including TNR.The Home Office is also developing official statistics for the National Security Act, which will include relevant offences that could amount to TNR.The Government takes the protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety very seriously, and will continue to strengthen its understanding of TNR and ensure that systems to detect, deter, and counter this activity remain effective and proportionate.