Written questions by Ribeiro-Addy.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2025 to Question 50209 on British Nationality: Children, what the reason was of the increase in administrative cost for child citizenship applications since 2021-22.

The published administrative cost of processing immigration and nationality applications reflects the full financial cost of providing the relevant service which includes direct costs, relevant local and central overheads, (e.g. accommodation, HR, Finance and IT), depreciation, cost of capital employed, and other factors that are in connection to immigration and nationality. The Home Office keeps the cost of processing applications under review and where costs associated with processing applications change, published fee tables will be updated accordingly.The cost base that is apportioned to setting the unit cost has increased year on year. This is due to factors such as inflation.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of recent developments in Tanzania on (a) regional stability and (b) democratic governance in East Africa.

The UK recognises Tanzania's role in the region, as a convenor and leader on climate, tackling serious and organised crime, and boosting growth and prosperity. We are following reports of recent arrests of political leaders and the treatment of opposition activists with concern. The British High Commission continues to engage with the Government of Tanzania and has called for due process to be followed accordingly.We will continue to keep issues of regional stability and democratic governance in Tanzania, and wider East Africa, under review.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the his Department plans to review its (a) bilateral relations and (b) aid commitments to Tanzania, in the context of concerns over political repression and human rights violations.

The UK continuously keeps bilateral relations and national interests under review with partner countries throughout the world. We are closely monitoring the recent arrest of opposition figures in Tanzania, and we will continue to raise Tanzania's political environment with ministerial counterparts.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help mitigate the risks of coastal flooding associated with rising sea levels.

We are committed to supporting coastal communities and ensuring flood risk management is fit for the challenges we face now and in the future.Delivering on the Government’s Plan for Change, this government is investing a record £2.65 billion over 2024/25 and 2025/26 for the construction of new flood schemes, and the maintenance and repair of existing ones.With this funding, 1,000 flood schemes have been or will continue to be supported, better protecting 52,000 properties by March 2026.

Innovation and Technology, what research his Department is supporting into the potential impact of Arctic warming on (a) the UK climate system, (b) shifts in the jet stream and (c) weather patterns.

UK Research and Innovation’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has a range of vessels, aircraft, and autonomous underwater and aerial vehicles which capture data to help better understand the potential climate impact of Arctic warming. There are a number of research initiatives across the region contributing information into datasets and models to improve predictions. This includes CANARI, a £12 million collaborative research programme to improve knowledge about how climate variability and change in the Arctic-North Atlantic region will impact the UK, with a focus on extreme weather and rapid, disruptive change.Through the Met Office, DSIT supported the Polar Amplification Model Intercomparison Project, within the Hadley Centre Climate Programme, which investigated factors driving polar amplification and how the global climate system responds to changes in Arctic and Antarctic sea ice.

What estimate she has made of the number of Commonwealth citizens who are on the five-year settlement route.

The information requested is not centrally held, and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

How many people will qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain under the five-year Settlement Route in the next 12 months.

The information requested is not centrally held, and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Whether she plans to retrospectively move people on the five-year settlement route to the ten-year settlement route.

We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details on the proposed scheme will be provided at that time.

If she will review the National Police Chiefs' Council's guidance on investigating stillbirths.

Guidance to support operational policing in discharging their duties is a matter for the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

When she plans to extend the permanent settlement wait time from five to ten years.

We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details on the proposed scheme will be provided at that time.

Whether she has consulted (a) medical professionals and (b) women’s rights organisations on the potential impact of the National Police Chiefs’ Council's guidance entitled Practice Advice on Child Death Investigation, published in February 2025, on (i) Black women, (ii) migrant women and (iii) other marginalised groups.

Guidance to support operational policing in discharging their duties is a matter for the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

Innovation and Technology, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the 48-hour broadband outage window in the Automatic Compensation Scheme.

The government recognises that access to high-quality and reliable broadband is essential.Operators have a statutory responsibility to take measures to identify, prepare for and reduce anything that compromises the availability, performance or functionality of their networks and services.DSIT regularly engages Ofcom, the independent regulator of telecommunications services, who created the voluntary compensation scheme and any changes to the scheme is a decision for Ofcom.We will continue to work with Ofcom to monitor the market to ensure that consumers are receiving reliable services and recourse for when things go wrong.

What due diligence was undertaken before reappointing Serco and G4S for electronic monitoring services.

The current contracts for the delivery of the electronic monitoring service have the capacity to manage the proposed increase in demand.The Procurement of Electronic Monitoring was conducted by the previous Government in 2023. It was conducted in line with Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and the Cabinet Office Sourcing Playbook (version May 2021) where all bids were fully and appropriately evaluated, including capacity, resulting in Serco being confirmed as the winning bid for the Field and Monitoring Service contract.The Public Contracts Regulations allow suppliers to be excluded from bidding for new contracts in certain circumstances, such as certain criminal offences and previous poor performance. Serco and Allied Universal (G4S) complied with all of the requirements and standards set out in legislation and on that basis, they were entitled to bid for this contract.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2025 to Question 46820 on Electronic Tagging: Standards, what assessment has she made of the adequacy of the capacity of Serco to deliver on its contract.

The current contracts for the delivery of the electronic monitoring service have the capacity to manage the proposed increase in demand.The Procurement of Electronic Monitoring was conducted by the previous Government in 2023. It was conducted in line with Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and the Cabinet Office Sourcing Playbook (version May 2021) where all bids were fully and appropriately evaluated, including capacity, resulting in Serco being confirmed as the winning bid for the Field and Monitoring Service contract.The Public Contracts Regulations allow suppliers to be excluded from bidding for new contracts in certain circumstances, such as certain criminal offences and previous poor performance. Serco and Allied Universal (G4S) complied with all of the requirements and standards set out in legislation and on that basis, they were entitled to bid for this contract.

Whether her planned expansion of tagging capabilities will be managed under the current tagging contract.

The current contracts for the delivery of the electronic monitoring service have the capacity to manage the proposed increase in demand.The Procurement of Electronic Monitoring was conducted by the previous Government in 2023. It was conducted in line with Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and the Cabinet Office Sourcing Playbook (version May 2021) where all bids were fully and appropriately evaluated, including capacity, resulting in Serco being confirmed as the winning bid for the Field and Monitoring Service contract.The Public Contracts Regulations allow suppliers to be excluded from bidding for new contracts in certain circumstances, such as certain criminal offences and previous poor performance. Serco and Allied Universal (G4S) complied with all of the requirements and standards set out in legislation and on that basis, they were entitled to bid for this contract.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 May 2025 to Question 46823 on Electronic Tagging: Standards, what reason was given for the 10,438 untagged cases audited by probation between January and March 2025.

The 10,438 offenders reported as untagged is misleading. It includes duplicates and errors that have not been corrected through our audit and quality assurance processes which are currently underway.The information requested through the PQ could only be obtained at disproportionate cost due to data quality issues.

Whether her Department has made an estimate of the cost to the public purse of only charging administrative costs for child citizenship applications.

No such estimate has been made. However, fees for immigration and nationality applications are kept under review, and this includes consideration of the financial impacts that may arise were fee levels to be changed.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the White Paper entitled Restoring Control over the Immigration System, published on 13 May 2025, on levels of retention of internationally-educated nursing staff in the NHS.

We hugely value our health and social care workers from overseas who work tirelessly to provide the best possible care and enhance our health and care workforce with their valuable skills, experience and expertise. We are committed to providing high-quality support to internationally educated nursing staff to help their integration into the National Health Service workforce and to creating a compassionate and inclusive work culture that has a focus on staff health and wellbeing.No assessment has been made of the potential impact of the White Paper, Restoring Control over the Immigration System, on levels of retention of internationally educated nursing staff in the NHS. This government remains committed to developing homegrown talent and giving opportunities to more people across the country to join our NHS. The Immigration White Paper set out reforms to legal migration, so that we can restore order, control and fairness to the system, bring down net migration and promote economic growth. The changes set out include a complete overhaul of the relationship between the immigration system, training and the labour market to support sustainable growth as well as a sustainable immigration system.The report by the Royal College of Nursing, Unreciprocated Care: why internationally educated nursing staff are leaving the UK, touches on some important issues, including on support and retention of internationally educated nursing staff. The Department will reflect further on the report and its recommendations, as we strive to continuously improve on the measures we already have in place, set out below, to support internationally recruited healthcare staff.On specific measures, the NHS Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Plan includes a High Impact Action that addresses the importance of ensuring that internationally recruited healthcare staff feel welcomed and valued at the start of their career.Successful induction processes and ongoing pastoral and professional support is of the utmost importance to retain newly recruited international staff so that they receive clear communication, guidance and support around their conditions of employment. The NHS Pastoral Care Quality Award scheme was set up to recognise a commitment to supporting internationally educated nurses and midwives at every stage of recruitment and beyond. As well as helping to standardise the quality and delivery of pastoral care, this award is an opportunity for trusts to have their work recognised and to demonstrate their commitment to supporting internationally educated nurses and midwives.NHS Employers has also published the International Retention Toolkit which outlines the actions employers can take to ensure internationally recruited staff will want to stay, thrive and build lasting careers in the NHS. The toolkit is available at the following link:https://www.nhsemployers.org/publications/international-retention-toolkit

What steps he is taking to support internationally educated nursing staff during their first years in the UK.

We hugely value our health and social care workers from overseas who work tirelessly to provide the best possible care and enhance our health and care workforce with their valuable skills, experience and expertise. We are committed to providing high-quality support to internationally educated nursing staff to help their integration into the National Health Service workforce and to creating a compassionate and inclusive work culture that has a focus on staff health and wellbeing.No assessment has been made of the potential impact of the White Paper, Restoring Control over the Immigration System, on levels of retention of internationally educated nursing staff in the NHS. This government remains committed to developing homegrown talent and giving opportunities to more people across the country to join our NHS. The Immigration White Paper set out reforms to legal migration, so that we can restore order, control and fairness to the system, bring down net migration and promote economic growth. The changes set out include a complete overhaul of the relationship between the immigration system, training and the labour market to support sustainable growth as well as a sustainable immigration system.The report by the Royal College of Nursing, Unreciprocated Care: why internationally educated nursing staff are leaving the UK, touches on some important issues, including on support and retention of internationally educated nursing staff. The Department will reflect further on the report and its recommendations, as we strive to continuously improve on the measures we already have in place, set out below, to support internationally recruited healthcare staff.On specific measures, the NHS Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Plan includes a High Impact Action that addresses the importance of ensuring that internationally recruited healthcare staff feel welcomed and valued at the start of their career.Successful induction processes and ongoing pastoral and professional support is of the utmost importance to retain newly recruited international staff so that they receive clear communication, guidance and support around their conditions of employment. The NHS Pastoral Care Quality Award scheme was set up to recognise a commitment to supporting internationally educated nurses and midwives at every stage of recruitment and beyond. As well as helping to standardise the quality and delivery of pastoral care, this award is an opportunity for trusts to have their work recognised and to demonstrate their commitment to supporting internationally educated nurses and midwives.NHS Employers has also published the International Retention Toolkit which outlines the actions employers can take to ensure internationally recruited staff will want to stay, thrive and build lasting careers in the NHS. The toolkit is available at the following link:https://www.nhsemployers.org/publications/international-retention-toolkit

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential impact of the no recourse to public funds condition on internationally educated nursing staff.

The proposals set out in the Immigration White Paper were discussed with all government departments in the normal way.