Written questions by Stephenson.

If she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 8 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Awaiting answer.

If she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 11 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Awaiting answer.

If she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 10 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Awaiting answer.

If she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 14 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Awaiting answer.

If she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 9 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Awaiting answer.

If she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 13 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Awaiting answer.

If she will make it her policy to adopt recommendation 1 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the honourable Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Awaiting answer.

If she will make it her policy to adopt recommendation 4 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the honourable Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Awaiting answer.

If she will make it her policy to adopt recommendation 3 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the honourable Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Awaiting answer.

If she will make it her policy to adopt recommendation 2 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the honourable Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Awaiting answer.

If her Department has received any correspondence from a) Global Counsel or b) Peter Mandelson in relation to English language testing in the UK immigration system since 4 July 2024.

Awaiting answer.

For what reason her Department does not allow remote testing for the Life in the UK test.

Awaiting answer.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the decision to remove remote testing for the LSAT by the US Government.

Awaiting answer.

What engagement her Department has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the introduction of the Home Office English Language Test.

The Home Office English Language Testing programme has engaged with impacted government departments and will continue this engagement throughout the life of the procurement though mobilisation. As with any government procurement, all commercial activity is subject to full governance procedure, including appropriate spending controls.

What contingency arrangements she plans to put in place to ensure secure provision of the Home Office English Language Test in the event of technical exploits subverting digital security measures in remote testing.

The Home Office is designing the HOELT procurement to ensure resilience in test delivery. The specification includes requirements for contingency arrangements in the event that technical vulnerabilities are identified or exploited. The Department expects any appointed provider to have robust incident response procedures in place, including the ability to suspend affected testing where necessary, investigate and address vulnerabilities promptly, and maintain the integrity of results already issued. The Department will work with the provider and with Ofqual throughout the contract to monitor security and respond to emerging threats.

What evidence on test security her Department reviewed as part of the market engagement process for the Home Office English Language tender.

During the market engagement process for the HOELT, the Home Office engaged with a wide range of stakeholders, including existing Secure English Language Test (SELT) providers, assessment bodies, regulators such as Ofqual, and independent experts. Evidence submitted through this process included information on test security approaches, the risks and mitigations associated with different delivery models, technical controls and international comparisons. The Department took this evidence into account in developing the procurement specification, alongside its own internal analysis of security risks. The specification also considers not only the solutions available at the point of contract commencement, but the bidders’ approaches to innovating and improving security measures throughout the life of the contract to respond to new and emerging threats.

What comparative assessment she has made of the (a) security of in-person supervision and (b) best-in-class digital security measures in the Home Office English Language Test.

The Home Office has considered the relative strengths of in-person supervision and digital security measures as part of its work to develop the HOELT. The Department acknowledges that both delivery models have strengths and limitations. In-person supervision at secure test centres provides a controlled environment that limits certain categories of risk. Digital security measures, when applied rigorously, can provide robust identity verification, real-time monitoring, and audit trails. The procurement specification requires any proposed solution to demonstrate that its security measures are fit for purpose for a high-stakes immigration test, and the evaluation will assess how bidders address these considerations.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2026 to Question 104261 on English Language: Assessments, what estimate she has made of the net positive benefit to the public purse of the Home Office English Language Test; and whether she has made a comparative assessment of the impact on the public purse of (a) the model being tendered and (b) a model combining digital and in-person security measures.

Pursuant to answer of 16 January 2026 to UIN 104261As set out in the answer of 16 January 2026, today's Secure English Language Testing concessions collect all applicants' fees with no return to the Department to cover the costs of managing and overseeing delivery. The new Home Office English Language Test service will deliver a net positive benefit to the public purse by changing that financial arrangement.The Department has not made a separate published assessment of the net financial benefit of a model combining digital and in-person security measures compared to the model being tendered. The procurement specification sets out the security and integrity requirements that any delivery model must meet, and cost is assessed alongside those requirements as part of the evaluation process. The overall value for money assessment will be made in the context of the full evaluation.A specific estimate of the net positive benefit has not been published, as the procurement process is ongoing and the financial arrangements will be determined at contract award.

What steps her Department plans to take to identify and mitigate potential attempts at cheating resulting from the new Home Office English Language Test being taken outside secure test centres and without in-person supervision.

The Home Office is committed to ensuring the integrity of the Home Office English Language Test (HOELT). The procurement process requires any delivery model to meet appropriate integrity requirements. The Department is aware of the risks associated with remote testing and is working to ensure that robust safeguards are built into the specification. These include requirements for strong identity verification, AI-assisted monitoring, and other technical controls designed to detect and deter cheating. The Department continues to engage with experts and regulators, including Ofqual, as the programme develops.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2026 to question 104256 on Visas: English Language, which other countries' systems have been considered in development of the Home Office English Language Test.

As set out in the answer of 16 January 2026, the Home Office English Language Test will be one of the first primarily remote language testing services for government immigration purposes. In developing this approach, the Department considered a range of international systems and models.This included reviewing the approaches taken by Australia and Canada, both of which recently reviewed their English language testing requirements. The Department also drew on evidence from other government contexts where digital identity and remote service delivery have been implemented, including existing Home Office delivery models incorporating identification technology, audit and assurance processes, and robust oversight frameworks.