Written questions by Ribeiro-Addy.

How many people were given a custodial sentence for not paying a fine further to a School Attendance Order by (a) race and (b) gender during the 2023-24 school year.

The Ministry of Justice routinely publishes data concerning sentence outcomes by offence as part of the Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly ‘Outcomes by offence’ tool which is available at this link: Criminal justice statistics quarterly.However, information is not held and separately identifiable concerning outcomes relating to non-payment of fines imposed following a conviction for the offence of failure to comply with a School Attendance Order (section 443 of the Education Act 1996). To provide this information would require a review of individual case files and would be disproportionate to costs incurred.

What information her Department holds on the number of people fined following the issuance of a School Attendance Order in the 2023-24 academic year, broken down by (a) race and (b) gender.

The department collects aggregate data on penalty notices from local authorities in England through the annual parental responsibility measures attendance census. Information is not collected on measures previously used before issue of a penalty notice, nor the characteristics of the children concerned.The available data is published in the following statistical release: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/parental-responsibility-measures.The department also collects aggregate data on school attendance orders issued from local authorities in England through the collection on elective home education and children missing education. No information is collected on characteristics of the children concerned.The available data is published in the following statistical release: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/elective-home-education.

What guidance her Department has issued to local authorities on actions they can take in cases where parents have opted educate their children at home due to (a) dissatisfaction with their school, (b) bullying, (c) school suggestion, (d) difficulties in accessing suitable school places, (e) risk of school exclusion, (f) concerns about the child's mental health and (g) inadequate SEND provision.

This government’s mission is to break down barriers to opportunity by driving high and rising standards across the whole education and care system to give every family certainty that they will be able to send their child to a good local school. The department is working across government to deliver commitments related to this, such as on expanding Mental Health Support Teams and improving special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision.The department recognises that some parents are currently reporting that they are moving their children into home education due to dissatisfaction with their school, SEND provision, concerns about the child’s mental health, and other concerns. To ensure that local authorities can identify all children not in school in their areas, which includes those who are not receiving a suitable education or otherwise need support, we have introduced a package of Children Not in School measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. These measures include a requirement for all local authorities in England to keep compulsory registers of Children Not in School, improvements to the School Attendance Order process, and a requirement for parents of children on child protection plans, who are the subject of child protection enquiries, or who are at special schools to seek permission from the local authority before they can be removed from the school roll to be home educated. We will publish statutory guidance to help local authorities carry out these new duties. The department’s ‘Elective home education’ guidance for local authorities and parents includes advice for local authorities on the reasons why families may home educate. It emphasises that local authorities should consider individual circumstances when engaging with families and considering what support they may require. Since 2022, the department has collected aggregate data from local authorities on home educating children in their area, which is now published annually. Whilst local authorities are now required to provide this information to the department, parents are under no obligation to provide information to the local authority, including the reason for home education.The proposed compulsory Children Not in School registers will support local authorities to fulfil their existing education and safeguarding duties towards children. As part of these measures, parents and certain providers of out-of-school education will be required to provide specific information to local authority registers. These registers will be required to include such information as the reasons for home education, to the extent that this information is reasonably obtainable. However, only certain information will be required to be provided by the parent (such as name, address, date of birth, etc.), which does not include reasons for home education.

What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the environmental impact of running artificial intelligence technologies and the UK's Net Zero ambitions.

The Department regularly engages across Government to promote the sustainable development of AI technologies in line with the UK’s Net Zero goals. This includes inter-departmental collaboration through initiatives such as the recently announced AI Energy Council and AI Growth Zones, aimed at addressing the growing energy demands of AI through sustainable, efficient, and scalable solutions.

What disability rights organisations and campaigners her Department is consulting with on planned reforms the disability welfare system; and whether any user-led organisations have been consulted.

This government is committed to putting the views and voices of disabled people at the heart of all that we do. We have already started discussing the case for reform, including with representatives from the Disability Charities Consortium and the Disabled People’s Organisations Forum England. We intend to publish a Health and Disability Green Paper ahead of the Spring Statement later this year. After publication, the proposals will be subject to a consultation involving disabled people and representative organisations, with the conclusions to be set out in a white paper later in the year.

How much revenue has been raised from citizenship applications since the fee waiver was introduced.

Since fee waivers were introduced in June 2022 the revenue received for all Citizenship applications - virtually all Naturalisation and Registration - is £734.7m. The data provided covers the period July 2022 to January 2025.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 February, to Question 28684 on British Nationality: Fees and Charges, for what reason her Department does not hold specific data on the amount of revenue received from child citizenship applications?.

The Department does not hold specific data on the amount of revenue received from child citizenship applications.We are looking to develop more granular management information during the new financial year 2025-26.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2025, to Question 28684 on British Nationality: Fees and Charges, what reasons were given for rejecting fee waiver applications for child citizenship in the last 12 months.

The Home Office publishes data on the processing of child citizenship fee waiver applications on the gov.uk website. The data shows that over half of the applications submitted in the last quarter were concluded within four weeks, and 99.7% of applications from the previous quarter were concluded within 6 months.Immigration statistics are published at Migration statistics. While these include statistics for child citizenship fee waiver applications, they do not identify the specific reasons why an application was rejected. The reasons for why an application is rejected is not recorded in a reportable format. It would require a manual check of each individual application to obtain the data, which could only be done at a disproportionate cost.The Home Office publishes data on the processing of child citizenship fee waiver applications on gov.uk.The latest Migration Transparency Data can be found here:Immigration and protection data: Q3 2024 - GOV.UK.There is no published service standard for child citizenship fee waiver applications. The data does show that over half of the applications submitted in the last quarter were concluded within four weeks, and 99.7% of applications from the previous quarter were concluded within 6 months.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2025, to Question 28684 on British Nationality: Fees and Charges, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the time taken to decide on fee waiver applications for child citizenship.

The Home Office publishes data on the processing of child citizenship fee waiver applications on the gov.uk website. The data shows that over half of the applications submitted in the last quarter were concluded within four weeks, and 99.7% of applications from the previous quarter were concluded within 6 months.Immigration statistics are published at Migration statistics. While these include statistics for child citizenship fee waiver applications, they do not identify the specific reasons why an application was rejected. The reasons for why an application is rejected is not recorded in a reportable format. It would require a manual check of each individual application to obtain the data, which could only be done at a disproportionate cost.The Home Office publishes data on the processing of child citizenship fee waiver applications on gov.uk.The latest Migration Transparency Data can be found here:Immigration and protection data: Q3 2024 - GOV.UK.There is no published service standard for child citizenship fee waiver applications. The data does show that over half of the applications submitted in the last quarter were concluded within four weeks, and 99.7% of applications from the previous quarter were concluded within 6 months.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2025, to Question 28684 on British Nationality: Fees and Charges, if she will provide a breakdown of the time taken to approve fee waiver applications for child citizenship.

The Home Office publishes data on the processing of child citizenship fee waiver applications on the gov.uk website. The data shows that over half of the applications submitted in the last quarter were concluded within four weeks, and 99.7% of applications from the previous quarter were concluded within 6 months.Immigration statistics are published at Migration statistics. While these include statistics for child citizenship fee waiver applications, they do not identify the specific reasons why an application was rejected. The reasons for why an application is rejected is not recorded in a reportable format. It would require a manual check of each individual application to obtain the data, which could only be done at a disproportionate cost.The Home Office publishes data on the processing of child citizenship fee waiver applications on gov.uk.The latest Migration Transparency Data can be found here:Immigration and protection data: Q3 2024 - GOV.UK.There is no published service standard for child citizenship fee waiver applications. The data does show that over half of the applications submitted in the last quarter were concluded within four weeks, and 99.7% of applications from the previous quarter were concluded within 6 months.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2025 to Question 28684 on British Nationality: Fees and Charges, what the target timeframe is for deciding on fee waivers for child citizenship.

The Home Office publishes data on the processing of child citizenship fee waiver applications on the gov.uk website. The data shows that over half of the applications submitted in the last quarter were concluded within four weeks, and 99.7% of applications from the previous quarter were concluded within 6 months.Immigration statistics are published at Migration statistics. While these include statistics for child citizenship fee waiver applications, they do not identify the specific reasons why an application was rejected. The reasons for why an application is rejected is not recorded in a reportable format. It would require a manual check of each individual application to obtain the data, which could only be done at a disproportionate cost.The Home Office publishes data on the processing of child citizenship fee waiver applications on gov.uk.The latest Migration Transparency Data can be found here:Immigration and protection data: Q3 2024 - GOV.UK.There is no published service standard for child citizenship fee waiver applications. The data does show that over half of the applications submitted in the last quarter were concluded within four weeks, and 99.7% of applications from the previous quarter were concluded within 6 months.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the environmental impact of running artificial intelligence technologies.

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues. The AI (artificial intelligence) Opportunities Action Plan sets out how we will achieve our AI ambitions by laying the foundations for growth, driving adoption and building UK capabilities.  We recognise that data centres face sustainability challenges, from energy demands to water use. Through the AI Energy Council, we will be exploring bold, clean energy solutions from next-generation renewables to small modular reactors to ensure our AI ambitions align with the UK’s net zero goals. This builds on the Department of Science, Innovation & Technology’s contribution to make Britain a clean energy superpower by investing in relevant research on clean energy and climate change.

What steps his Department is taking to protect private renters from potential evictions and rent hikes as unintended consequences of mandating all private rented accommodation meets EPC C by 2030.

Government is consulting on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector. The Renters’ Rights Bill will also put in place new regulations to protect tenants. This includes providing stronger protections to ensure that tenants are able to appeal excessive above-market rents, abolishing Section 21 ‘no fault evictions’, and moving to a simpler tenancy structure where all assured tenancies are periodic. These measures provide more security for tenants and enable them to challenge poor practice and unfair rent increases without fear of eviction.

Whether it is his Department's policy that babies in the third trimester that have been removed from their mother after her death should not be (a) recognised and (b) recorded as stillborn.

The definition of a stillborn child in England and Wales is contained in the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953 section 41, and was amended by the Stillbirth (Definition) Act 1992 section 1(1). This act defines a stillbirth as ‘a child which has issued forth from its mother after the 24th week of pregnancy and which did not at any time breathe or show any other signs of life’.It is expected that babies are recognised and recorded as stillborn in accordance with this definition.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to ensure the provision of adequate funding for demand-led local government services in the next spending review.

We recognise the challenges that local authorities are facing as demand increases for critical services. Funding allocations from future settlements are subject to the outcome of future Spending Reviews.The final Settlement for 2025-26 therefore makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25.We are also taking immediate action to begin addressing the significant challenges facing local government by ensuring that funding goes to the places that need it most in 2025-26.The Ministry works closely with local government and other government departments to understand specific demand and cost pressures facing local government on an ongoing basis.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made and assessment of the inclusion of measures of deprivation as part of funding reform for local government.

Building on the measures in the 2025-26 Local Government Finance Settlement, the Government is committed to introducing an improved and updated approach to funding local authorities from 2026-27.We are inviting views on our principles and objectives for funding reform through a consultation (18 December – 12 February), as well as engaging with the local government sector more broadly. As part of this, we are inviting views on the drivers of councils’ spending need, including measures of deprivation.This consultation and engagement will inform the development of our detailed proposals, which we will consult on in late Spring following the multi-year Spending Review and ahead of the provisional multi-year Settlement for 2026-27.

If she will make it her policy to increase Local Housing Allowance rates in line with inflation.

The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) was introduced in 2008 and determines the maximum housing support for tenants in the private rented sector. Claimants in similar circumstances living in the same area are entitled to the same maximum rent allowance regardless of the contractual rent paid. LHA rates do not cover all rents in all areas. In April 2024, LHA rates were restored at the 30th percentile of local market rents at a cost of approximately £7bn over 5 years. In relation to LHA rates remaining at current levels for 2025/26, the Government has had to take difficult decisions at Autumn Budget to address the challenging fiscal context. For LHA a range of factors were considered, including rental data, the impacts of LHA rates, the fact that rates were increased in April, and the wider fiscal context. Decisions on LHA rates for future years will be taken in the context of the Government’s missions, housing priorities, and the fiscal context. For those who need further support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities. DHPs can be paid to those entitled to housing support who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs.

Whether she plans to lift the 2011 cap on the amount of Local Housing Allowance that can be reclaimed by local authorities to cover the cost of temporary accommodation.

We continue to keep the subsidy paid to local authorities under review and appreciate that local authorities are subject to many funding pressures. However, any increases to the subsidy paid to local authorities would require a Budget (rather than as part of a Spending Review) and would need to be taken in the context of the government’s missions, goals on housing and the broader fiscal position.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to give local authorities in London a formal decision-making role in any future Integrated Settlement applied to the Greater London Authority.

At Autumn Budget 2024 the Government committed to exploring how the Integrated Settlement policy could be applied for the Greater London Authority from the 2026-27 financial year onwards, taking into account the capital’s unique devolution arrangements. This work is currently taking place and the Government plans to announce further details following the conclusion of Phase 2 of the Spending Review 2025.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to establish a formal shared decision-making arrangement between the Mayor of London and local authorities.

The Government remains committed to engaging local authorities, including London Borough Councils, and the wider local government sector on the detail of our reforms set out in the English Devolution White Paper. As part of this process, it will be important to consider London’s unique devolution settlement, including drawing on existing ways of working between the Greater London Authority and London Boroughs.