Written questions by Coleman.

Whether grant levels for students from low-income households under Erasmus+ will be comparable to those of the Turing Scheme.

This iteration of Erasmus+ has a strong focus on inclusion, with diversity and inclusion set as a core priority. The UK’s association will support this commitment, continuing the ambition set by the Turing Scheme to prioritise mobilities involving participants from disadvantaged backgrounds.The EU allocates dedicated budgets to support ‘people with fewer opportunities’ to take part in mobility activities, including those facing financial, social or health-related barriers. Grant rates are set out in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide for each year of the programme.The department is working closely with all relevant sectors to maximise take up, particularly among disadvantaged groups. A UK National Agency will be appointed to administer the programme, with a dedicated website and guidance issued well-ahead of the 2027 funding call. Alongside this, there will also be a broad range of sector outreach activities to increase awareness and engagement, such as webinars and targeted communications to eligible organisations.

What steps the Department will take to ensure the Erasmus+ programme reaches less advantaged young people who are in further education or apprenticeships.

This iteration of Erasmus+ has a strong focus on inclusion, with diversity and inclusion set as a core priority. The UK’s association will support this commitment, continuing the ambition set by the Turing Scheme to prioritise mobilities involving participants from disadvantaged backgrounds.The EU allocates dedicated budgets to support ‘people with fewer opportunities’ to take part in mobility activities, including those facing financial, social or health-related barriers. Grant rates are set out in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide for each year of the programme.The department is working closely with all relevant sectors to maximise take up, particularly among disadvantaged groups. A UK National Agency will be appointed to administer the programme, with a dedicated website and guidance issued well-ahead of the 2027 funding call. Alongside this, there will also be a broad range of sector outreach activities to increase awareness and engagement, such as webinars and targeted communications to eligible organisations.

Communities and Local Government, when the statutory space and room standards in the Housing Act 1985 were last formally reviewed; and whether any review is underway.

The government has no current plans to review or amend the overcrowding provisions as set out in Part X of the Housing Act 1985.Crowding and space are assessed under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) and enforced under Part 1 of the Housing Act 2004.The government has committed to bring forward new regulations to bring the conclusions of the HHSRS review into force. The HHSRS is the cornerstone of housing standards, and the forthcoming regulations will make it more efficient and accessible for experts to use, and easier to understand for landlords and tenants.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the statutory overcrowding standards set out in the Housing Act 1985.

The government has no current plans to review or amend the overcrowding provisions as set out in Part X of the Housing Act 1985.Crowding and space are assessed under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) and enforced under Part 1 of the Housing Act 2004.The government has committed to bring forward new regulations to bring the conclusions of the HHSRS review into force. The HHSRS is the cornerstone of housing standards, and the forthcoming regulations will make it more efficient and accessible for experts to use, and easier to understand for landlords and tenants.

Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to review the statutory overcrowding provisions in the Housing Act 1985.

The government has no current plans to review or amend the overcrowding provisions as set out in Part X of the Housing Act 1985.Crowding and space are assessed under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) and enforced under Part 1 of the Housing Act 2004.The government has committed to bring forward new regulations to bring the conclusions of the HHSRS review into force. The HHSRS is the cornerstone of housing standards, and the forthcoming regulations will make it more efficient and accessible for experts to use, and easier to understand for landlords and tenants.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of Erasmus+ work placements for apprentices on the Growth and Skills Levy.

Funding for Erasmus+ placements is provided through the Erasmus+ programme. The apprenticeship funding rules for 2026/27 academic year will set out details on apprenticeships and the Erasmus+ programme.

If his Department will coordinate with the incoming Erasmus+ National Agency to ensure apprenticeship funding rules support overseas placements in EU companies.

Funding for Erasmus+ placements is provided through the Erasmus+ programme. The apprenticeship funding rules for 2026/27 academic year will set out details on apprenticeships and the Erasmus+ programme.

When his Department will notify children’s hospices of allocations from the £80 million in funding announced on 16 October 2025.

Children and young people’s hospices and integrated care boards will be informed of their children and young people’s hospice grant allocations for 2026/27 imminently. Communication regarding future allocations, for 2027/28 and 2028/29, will be sent once the 2026/27 process is complete.

What steps her Department is taking to help (a) raise awareness of and (b) promote the opportunities offered by Erasmus+ among eligiblestudenrts and institutions.

We will work closely with institutions and our young people to maximise take-up, particularly among disadvantaged groups.A UK National Agency will be appointed to administer the programme, with a dedicated website and guidance issued well ahead of the 2027 funding call which opens in November 2026.On 17 December 2025, the department published on GOV.UK a page providing information about the Erasmus+ programme and the available opportunities.There will also be a broad range of sector outreach activities to increase awareness and engagement, such as webinars and targeted communications to eligible organisations.

What steps her Department is taking to encourage and support applications from apprentices to Erasmus+.

We will work closely with institutions and our young people to maximise take-up, particularly among disadvantaged groups.A UK National Agency will be appointed to administer the programme, with a dedicated website and guidance issued well ahead of the 2027 funding call which opens in November 2026.On 17 December 2025, the department published on GOV.UK a page providing information about the Erasmus+ programme and the available opportunities.There will also be a broad range of sector outreach activities to increase awareness and engagement, such as webinars and targeted communications to eligible organisations.

How UK institutions will be able to participate in Erasmus+ if they do not get accredited by the deadline of 24 March 2026.

Higher education (HE) institutions must successfully apply for the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) before applying for funding for any project, whether they are applying for mobilities or partnerships, or as an individual organisation or consortium. Signing the charter means committing to providing participants with all the necessary support for their placements, including linguistic preparation.The deadline for submitting applications for the ECHE has been extended to 24 March 2026 for HE institutions intending to participate in the 2027 funding call.The ECHE is a mandatory prerequisite for participating in Erasmus+ activities related to HE, so any HE institutions wishing to participate in Erasmus+ in 2027 must ensure they meet the 24 March deadline. Applications can be made on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal.

Which types of UK institutions and organisations will be eligible to participate in the Erasmus+ programme.

Erasmus+ is open to learners, trainees and staff in higher education, further education, vocational education and training, schools and adult education. It is also open to young people and youth workers in the youth sector, as well as staff in sports organisations.

When the national UK agency for Erasmus+ will be in place and where it will be hosted.

The department has commenced discussions with the British Council with a view to them being appointed as the National Agency for Erasmus+.The National Agency will be set up in time to accept bids for the 2027 Erasmus+ funding call which opens in November 2026.

What provision has been made to help increase the number of appointments available within NHS primary care services in response to increases in online consultation use at GP surgeries.

We have invested £160 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to support the recruitment of over 2,000 individual general practitioners (GPs) into primary care networks across England, helping to increase appointment availability and improve care for thousands of patients. The new £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund will also create additional clinical space within over 1,000 practices across England. This investment will deliver more appointments and improve patient care.Last year, we invested an additional £1.1 billion in GPs to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.4 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade.As a result, we have successfully delivered an additional 6.8 million GP appointments for patients compared to the same period last year, meaning more patients are getting the support they need, when they need it. Between November and December 2025, the number of online consultations fell by approximately 175,000, despite contract changes introduced in October 2025 to align online consultation hours with telephone and reception access.

What assessment has been made of the impact that mandating extended online consultation use at GP surgeries will have on the availability of face-to-face appointments.

No formal assessment has been undertaken of the impact that mandating extended use of online consultations will have on the availability of face‑to‑face appointments.Between November and December 2025, the number of online consultations fell by approximately 175,000, despite contract changes introduced in October 2025 to align online consultation hours with telephone and reception access. Over the same period, the proportion of appointments delivered face‑to‑face has remained stable. In December 2025, 61.5% of all appointments were conducted in person with a healthcare professional, a decrease of 2.5% compared with December 2024.Practices already using online systems have seen significant improvements. One London general practice surgery reduced waits from 14 days to just three, with 95% of patients seen within a week.

What assessment has been made of the potential impact of (a) the new online consultation system for GP surgeries and (b) as part of that, urgent clinical queries being included on forms meant for non-urgent business on levels of patient safety.

General practices (GPs) are independent businesses contracted by the National Health Service to deliver essential services, and as part of these contracts they are required to provide modern telephony systems and online consultation tools. In the 2025 contract negotiations with the General Practitioners Committee England, agreement was reached to ensure online, telephone, and reception access is available throughout core hours. To support safe implementation, this was deferred to 1 October 2025, with support available from NHS England and the integrated care boards for practices that need help meeting the requirement. These changes build on several years of work to modernise GPs and improve access.Online consultation systems already require practices to triage clinical need, so extending access to core hours does not change how urgent and non‑urgent queries are managed, it simply gives patients more choice in how they contact their practice and helps ensure urgent issues are identified quickly while non‑urgent requests are handled appropriately.Practices already using online systems have seen significant improvements. One London GP surgery reduced waits from 14 days to just three, with 95% of patients seen within a week.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with the Environment Agency on it registering property owners along the tidal Thames as riparian owners where legal evidence of ownership does not exist.

The Environment Agency does not register landowners in London as riparian owners. A landowner’s responsibility for a tidal flood defence arises under the Metropolis Management (Thames River Prevention of Floods) Amendment Act 1879, which requires flood defences to be created and maintained to a defined height (relative to ordnance datum) in order to protect London from flooding and inundations caused by overflows from the River Thames.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Environment Agency is permitted to register property owners along the tidal Thames as riparian owners where legal evidence of ownership does not exist.

The Environment Agency does not register landowners in London as riparian owners. A landowner’s responsibility for a tidal flood defence arises under the Metropolis Management (Thames River Prevention of Floods) Amendment Act 1879, which requires flood defences to be created and maintained to a defined height (relative to ordnance datum) in order to protect London from flooding and inundations caused by overflows from the River Thames.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department will consider amending The Rent Acts (Maximum Fair Rent) Order 1999 so that the formula to calculate the maximum fair rent for regulated tenancies uses the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rather than the Retail Prices Index (RPI).

Regulated tenancies under the Rent Act 1977 are entitled to a ‘fair rent’ which is determined and registered by rent officers. The Rent Act (Maximum Fair Rent) Order 1999 limits increases in registered fair rents to the change in the Retail Price Index plus a fixed percentage uplift.The government has no plans to review or amend the inflationary index or to change the basis for calculating maximum fair rents from the Retail Price Index to the Consumer Prices Index.

Communities and Local Government, for what reason his Department calculates the maximum fair rent for regulated tenancies using the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rather than the Retail Prices Index (RPI).

Regulated tenancies under the Rent Act 1977 are entitled to a ‘fair rent’ which is determined and registered by rent officers. The Rent Act (Maximum Fair Rent) Order 1999 limits increases in registered fair rents to the change in the Retail Price Index plus a fixed percentage uplift.The government has no plans to review or amend the inflationary index or to change the basis for calculating maximum fair rents from the Retail Price Index to the Consumer Prices Index.