Written questions by Ribeiro-Addy.

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.

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.

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 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.

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 White Paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May 2025, on (a) attracting and (b) retaining healthcare workers.

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

What steps his Department is taking to support internationally educated nurses in financial hardship who are ineligible for public funds.

National advice and guidance on financial wellbeing is available for National Health Service employers and staff, including those experiencing financial hardship. The NHS Employers’ financial wellbeing webpage helps employers to develop a robust approach to support their staff, including those from overseas, with financial wellbeing in the workplace. The financial wellbeing webpage is available at the following link:https://www.nhsemployers.org/articles/financial-education-and-wellbeingNHS England also provides resources and signposting to support NHS workers with financial wellbeing, with further information available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/supporting-our-nhs-people/support-now/financial-support/

If he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the report by the Royal College of Nursing entitled Unreciprocated Care: why internationally educated nursing staff are leaving the UK, published on 15 May 2025.

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

How Serco performed against the key performance indicators at the most recent performance review on their Asylum Accommodation Services contract.

I refer the Hon Member to the Answer she received on the 16 May 2025 to UIN 50918.

How Serco performed against key performance indicators at the most recent performance review of their Restart Scheme contract.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to her previous Question UIN 50919.Cabinet Office Statistics publish some of the Serco Key Performance Indicators on a regular basis. The latest publication is available here.Ongoing performance reviews have identified a need for performance improvement in the two Contract Package Areas (CPA) CPA1a and CPA6 that Serco delivers in. Therefore, the department has implemented intensified support and heightened monitoring as part of our established performance management intervention regime.This activity incorporates more frequent and more senior scrutiny and includes requiring Serco to implement comprehensive action plans to address concerns, with the intensity of support and challenge increasing at higher intervention levels.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 February 2025 to Question 30270 on British Nationality: Fees and Charges; for what reason she does not collate information on the reasons for rejecting fee waivers.

The reasons for rejecting a fee waiver are recorded on each case, but collating this data for the purposes of answering the relevant parliamentary question would have required a manual review of each case.

What steps she is taking to ensure that schools in Clapham and Brixton Hill constituency receive adequate resources to meet the needs of (a) all pupils and (b) those with special educational needs and disabilities.

Core school funding is distributed via the dedicated schools grant (DSG) to local authorities. Local authorities (Lambeth for Clapham and Brixton Hill constituency) then set their own local formulae which determine individual school allocations.Through the DSG, Lambeth Council is receiving £241 million for mainstream schools in financial year 2025/26. This represents an increase of 1.9% per pupil compared to 2024/25 (excluding growth and falling rolls funding).Mainstream schools in Lambeth attract £8,138 per pupil on average (excluding growth and falling rolls funding) in financial year 2025/26. From their budgets, schools are expected to meet the costs of additional support for their pupils with special educational needs, up to £6,000 per pupil per annum. Most pupils will require support costing less than that. For costs greater than that threshold, schools can access funding from the local authority’s high needs budget.Through the DSG, Lambeth Council is receiving a high needs funding allocation of £71 million in the 2025/26 financial year. This national funding formula (NFF) allocation is a 7% increase per head of their 2 to 18-year-old population, on their equivalent 2024/25 NFF allocation.Funding for the 2026/27 financial year and beyond has not yet been determined and is subject to the multi-year spending review.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the cost of citizenship applications for children on (a) parents, (b) carers and (c) children.

Where changes to fee legislation are made, Impact Assessments are produced which identify potential impacts resulting from the changes. Although fees for child citizenship applicants were not increased as part of the recent fee changes that came into effect on 09 April 2025, the published Equalities Impact Assessment includes discussion of the impacts of nationality fees on child applicants and can be found at the following link: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2025/363/pdfs/uksiod_20250363_en_001.pdf.

If her Department will provide additional support to schools in areas with reductions in per pupil funding.

The national funding formula is used to allocate core schools funding to each local authority through the dedicated schools grant (DSG). Local authorities then create their own local funding formulae to distribute that funding among the schools in their respective areas.Through the DSG, Lambeth local authority is receiving £241.1 million for mainstream schools in the 2025/26 financial year. This represents an increase of 1.9% per pupil compared to 2024/25 (excluding growth and falling rolls funding).No local authority has seen a reduction in per pupil funding through the schools block of the DSG from the 2024/25 to 2025/26 financial years.Overall core schools funding is increasing to £65.3 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, up from £61.6 billion in 2024/25. This includes additional funding announced on 22 May alongside the teacher pay award.

How Serco performed against the key performance indicators at the most recent performance review on their HMP & YOI Fosse Way (Leicester) contract.

HM Prison & Probation Service’s Annual Prison Performance Ratings are based on a range of indicators. The latest ratings cover the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. As a newly opened prison (June 2023), HMP Fosse Way did not form part of the latest ratings but will be included in future publications. HMP Ashfield was rated at level 3 (‘Good performance’).

How Serco performed against key performance indicators at the most recent performance review on the HMP Ashfield (South Gloucestershire) contract.

HM Prison & Probation Service’s Annual Prison Performance Ratings are based on a range of indicators. The latest ratings cover the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. As a newly opened prison (June 2023), HMP Fosse Way did not form part of the latest ratings but will be included in future publications. HMP Ashfield was rated at level 3 (‘Good performance’).

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2025 to Question 49785 on Electronic Tagging: Standards; which of the key performance indicators Serco failed to meet; and how Serco performed against the remaining key performance indicators.

Serco failed to meet the expected requirement for the following key performance indicators: KPIs 1-7, 9-11 and KPI 14. KPI 8 is N/AFor KPIs 12 and 13, Serco performed at 100%.