Written questions by Stephenson.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 61248 on Green Belt: Maps, if he will list the local authorities that have received funding.

The government has provided 133 local planning authorities with £70,000 of pump priming funding each to contribute towards the costs of carrying out Green Belt reviews in their areas. Eligible local authorities submitted an Expression of Interest (EOI) form requesting a share of this funding. The EOIs were reviewed, and funding has been awarded. Further details, along with a list of successful local authorities, can be found on gov.uk here.

If she will make an estimate of the number of migrants who have arrived illegally in the UK since 4 August 2025.

By its very nature, it is not possible to know the exact number of people who arrive to the UK illegally, and so we do not seek to make any official estimates of this. In June 2019, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published a note on ‘measuring illegal migration’.However, the Home Office does publish statistics on detected irregular arrivals to the UK in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on detected irregular arrivals by method of entry is published in table Irr_D01 of the ‘Irregular migration to the UK detailed datasets’, with the latest data up to the end of June 2025. Data for July to September 2025 will be published on 27 November 2025. Data on daily small boat arrivals is published at: Small boat activity in the English Channel - GOV.UK.

What checks her Department undertakes to ensure that holders of (a) Religious Worker and (b) Minister of Religion visas are performing religious work.

The information regarding eligibility to sponsor religious workers or Ministers of Religion is not currently available from published statistics and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.Checks are carried out on visa applications to verify they meet the published requirements of the individual routes, genuineness of a role and compliance checks may be conducted as well to satisfy that the roles involve religious work.The Immigration Rules contain details on financial requirements for all visas and these are updated regularly.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make an estimate of the amount of Section 106 funding that was not drawn down and subsequently lost in each of the past ten years.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 54059 on 6 June 2025.

If she will make it her policy to publish the number of visas sponsored by each organisation on the register of licensed sponsors (workers) since 2021.

Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.

With reference to the guidance entitled Register of licensed sponsors: workers, published on 26 September 2025, how many organisations on the register are eligible to sponsor (a) Religious Worker and (b) Minister of Religion visas by religion.

The information regarding eligibility to sponsor religious workers or Ministers of Religion is not currently available from published statistics and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.Checks are carried out on visa applications to verify they meet the published requirements of the individual routes, genuineness of a role and compliance checks may be conducted as well to satisfy that the roles involve religious work.The Immigration Rules contain details on financial requirements for all visas and these are updated regularly.

If she will make an estimate of the average salary earned by (a) all and (b) skilled worker visa holders.

An estimate of the average salary earned by all visa holders is not available, as the information is not held.HMRC and Home Office have introduced a data sharing process to match visa data to administrative tax data. The Home Office published a research report on 12 May on earnings, employment, and Income Tax liabilities of visa holders on Sponsored Work (Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, and Senior or Specialist Worker (Global Business Mobility)) and Family routes.The publication reports a median figure of £56,600 for the annual adjusted earnings of skilled worker entry clearance visa holders in financial year 2023 to 2024. Skilled worker extension of stay visa holders were found to have a median annual adjusted earnings figure of £56,300 over the same period.

With reference to the guidance entitled Register of licensed sponsors: workers, published on 26 September 2025, how often her Department communicates with organisations on the register in relation to visas they have sponsored.

Routine reviews of the register of licensed sponsors are undertaken to check that sponsors are still classified as active.It is normal practice to contact a sponsor if we have any concerns over any individuals they have sponsored or are seeking to sponsor however, we do not hold any published data on this.Essential updates and reminders are sent periodically to those licensed sponsors currently on the register.We do not hold any data on licensed sponsors in receipt of public funding.We do not routinely publish data on in-person inspections.

With reference to the guidance entitled Register of licensed sponsors: workers, published on 26 September 2025, how often her Department checks whether organisations on the register are still in operation.

Routine reviews of the register of licensed sponsors are undertaken to check that sponsors are still classified as active.It is normal practice to contact a sponsor if we have any concerns over any individuals they have sponsored or are seeking to sponsor however, we do not hold any published data on this.Essential updates and reminders are sent periodically to those licensed sponsors currently on the register.We do not hold any data on licensed sponsors in receipt of public funding.We do not routinely publish data on in-person inspections.

With reference to the guidance entitled Register of licensed sponsors: workers, published on 26 September 2025, how often her Department communicates with organisations on the register in relation to their legal requirements as sponsor organisations.

Routine reviews of the register of licensed sponsors are undertaken to check that sponsors are still classified as active.It is normal practice to contact a sponsor if we have any concerns over any individuals they have sponsored or are seeking to sponsor however, we do not hold any published data on this.Essential updates and reminders are sent periodically to those licensed sponsors currently on the register.We do not hold any data on licensed sponsors in receipt of public funding.We do not routinely publish data on in-person inspections.

What financial requirements there are to be granted a work visa related to religious work.

The information regarding eligibility to sponsor religious workers or Ministers of Religion is not currently available from published statistics and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.Checks are carried out on visa applications to verify they meet the published requirements of the individual routes, genuineness of a role and compliance checks may be conducted as well to satisfy that the roles involve religious work.The Immigration Rules contain details on financial requirements for all visas and these are updated regularly.

How many people have a (a) Religious Worker and (b) Minister of Religion visa.

The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas by visa route, including Religious Worker, and applicant type in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the outcomes of visa applications are published in table ‘Vis_D02’ of the detailed entry clearance visas dataset.Please note that Religious Worker dependants are grouped into the 'Dependant - Temporary Worker' category.Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is from January 2005 up to the end of June 2025.To calculate a refusal rate, we recommend that you take the number of refusals and divide by the total number of outcomes in a given period.Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

How many people have dependent visas associated with a holder of a (a) Religious Worker and (b) Minister of Religion visa.

The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas by visa route, including Religious Worker, and applicant type in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the outcomes of visa applications are published in table ‘Vis_D02’ of the detailed entry clearance visas dataset.Please note that Religious Worker dependants are grouped into the 'Dependant - Temporary Worker' category.Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is from January 2005 up to the end of June 2025.To calculate a refusal rate, we recommend that you take the number of refusals and divide by the total number of outcomes in a given period.Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

How many immigrants found to have been working illegally have been deported since 4 July 2024.

As set out in legislation, an individual is liable to removal from the UK if "the person requires leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom but does not have it". The Home Office does not routinely categorise immigration offenders by the manner in which they became irregular, including those who may have been found to be working in breach of visa conditions, and to do so could only be achieved at disproportionate cost.

Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to disapply the cap on council tax rises for 2026-27 as part of the fair funding review.

The Spending Review confirmed the government intends to maintain the referendum threshold at 3%, with 2% for the adult social care precept. This is in line with the threshold set up by the previous government. Final referendum principles will be confirmed at the local government finance settlement, subject to approval by the House of Commons, in the usual way.

If she will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to to publish annual workforce totals for each organisation on the register of licensed sponsors (workers).

At present, there are no plans to publish this data, although we do keep such matters under review.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make an estimate of the amount of Section 106 funding returned to developers in each of the last five years; and what the most common infrastructure needs that funding had been allocated for are.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 54059 on 6 June 2025.

With reference to the press release entitled UK launches global talent drive to attract world-leading researchers and innovators, published on 22 June 2025, if he will publish his Department’s impact assessment for this decision.

The Global Talent Taskforce (GTT) is a delivery-focused unit actively developing a pipeline of highly talented individuals who are considering laying down roots and investing in the UK. It provides tailored account management to support these individuals in support of the UK’s Industrial Strategy priority sectors. The Department for Science and Technology-led (DSIT) Global Talent Fund is a £54 million fund, administrated by UKRI and delivered by research organisations, which covers 100% of eligible costs, including relocation and research expenses, with no requirement for match funding from research organisations. DSIT and UKRI are working with GTF ROs to maximise delivery impact in line with government ambitions to attract global talent to the UK. No, the Department for Business and Trade does not plan to publish an impact assessment in relation to the launch of the Global Talent Taskforce as it wouldn’t be required or appropriate for a Taskforce.

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 August 2025 to Question 62005 on Care Workers: Migrant Workers, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of collecting that information.

Home Office immigration statistics show the numbers of Health and Care Worker visas granted under this category for the ‘Caring Personal Services’ occupation group (613), which broadly covers occupations across social care, over time, and for the specific “care workers and home carers” occupation code (6135) from the fourth quarter of 2024. Not all visa grants will result in a worker travelling to the United Kingdom. Skills for Care collects data on the adult social care workforce from employers on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care, with the voluntary Adult Social Care Workforce Dataset data collection. From July 2024, it added a question about the Health and Care Worker visa status of employees, supplementing existing data on nationality and, for non-UK nationals, the year of entry to the UK. However, the uncertainty of any estimate of the total number of current workers with this status would depend on how many employers have chosen to respond to that question and whether their responses could be considered representative of the workforce in its entirety. Any estimate could not be directly compared to data on visa grants from the Home Office.

What financial requirements there are to be granted a work visa related to charity work.

The financial requirements for the Charity Worker route are published in Appendix Temporary Work – Charity Worker of the Immigration Rules: Immigration Rules - Immigration Rules Appendix Temporary Work - Charity Worker - Guidance - GOV.UK.