Written questions by Reed.

Communities and Local Government, what is the number of individual correspondence his department received from a) members of the public, b) voluntary groups and c) business representative organisations in favour of the re-organisation of local government in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay prior to the recent consultation.

The Government anticipates an announcement before the summer recess on which, if any, proposal for unitary local government will be implemented in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay. A summary of the consultation will be published at the time of the announcement. A range of views were expressed to the Department as proposals were developed, and local residents and groups have now been able to have their say through the consultation. The Government provided £7.6million last year for councils in England with two-tier local government to develop proposals for unitary local government. This helped councils meet the cost of proposal development, including consultation and engagement with their local communities. All five proposals for local government in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay were consulted on via the recent statutory consultation.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the costs of conducting the consultation on local government re-organisation in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay.

The Government anticipates an announcement before the summer recess on which, if any, proposal for unitary local government will be implemented in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay. A summary of the consultation will be published at the time of the announcement. A range of views were expressed to the Department as proposals were developed, and local residents and groups have now been able to have their say through the consultation. The Government provided £7.6million last year for councils in England with two-tier local government to develop proposals for unitary local government. This helped councils meet the cost of proposal development, including consultation and engagement with their local communities. All five proposals for local government in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay were consulted on via the recent statutory consultation.

Communities and Local Government, when he expects to publish the results of the consultation on local government reorganisation in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay which ended on 26th March 2026.

The Government anticipates an announcement before the summer recess on which, if any, proposal for unitary local government will be implemented in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay. A summary of the consultation will be published at the time of the announcement. A range of views were expressed to the Department as proposals were developed, and local residents and groups have now been able to have their say through the consultation. The Government provided £7.6million last year for councils in England with two-tier local government to develop proposals for unitary local government. This helped councils meet the cost of proposal development, including consultation and engagement with their local communities. All five proposals for local government in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay were consulted on via the recent statutory consultation.

What the legal basis is for allowing UK forces to interdict sanctioned shadow fleet vessels transiting UK territorial waters; and whether that legal basis has been confirmed in writing by the Attorney General.

UK forces operate in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and domestic law.

How many sanctioned shadow fleet vessels have transited UK waters since 25 March 2026.

I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave on 20 April 2026, to Question 125435.

What evidential threshold must be met before a sanctioned shadow fleet vessel may be boarded in UK territorial waters.

We keep maritime activity in UK territorial waters under constant review. We will not provide a running commentary or get into details of our decision-making process as this could compromise our ability to successfully take action against sanctioned ships, only benefitting our adversaries.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of Plan 2 student loan repayments on pension auto-enrolment contribution adequacy for borrowers earning between (a) £27,295 and £50,270, (b) £50,270 and £60,000 and (c) £60,000 and £80,000; and whether his Department has modelled the impact of reduced pension contributions during years in which student loan repayments are also being made on long-term retirement savings.

Workplace pension participation remains high among all eligible age groups, with 82% of all employees participating in workplace pensions in 2024. The Government remains committed to building on the success of automatic enrolment to ensure that people are saving enough for retirement. That is why we have revived the Pensions Commission which will look at the adequacy, fairness and sustainability of the pensions system for future cohorts of retirees.

A) what is the current RAB charge for Plan 2 loans, and b) how has this changed year-on-year since 2019.

The current Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) charge for Plan 2 loans in England is 32.2%. The RAB charge for Plan 2 loans has changed as follows since 2019:RAB charges (Financial Year)Plan 22019/2053.0%2020/2154.0%2021/2245.0%2022/2328.5%2023/2429.8%2024/2532.2%Many factors can influence the RAB charge, including modelling methodology, economic determinants and policy decisions. The last cohort of Plan 2 loan borrowers took their first loans in the 2022/23 academic year, the latest RAB charge covers outlay for borrowers still receiving Plan 2 loans in the 2024/25 financial year.

What estimate her Department has made of the proportion of Plan 2 borrowers graduating between 2016 and 2023 whose total lifetime student loan repayments, including interest, are projected to exceed the net present value of the graduate earnings premium attributable to their degree.

The department does not hold estimates of lifetime repayment costs for Plan 2 borrowers by earnings bands.The Autumn Budget included freezes to Plan 2 repayment and interest thresholds for at their 2026/27 financial year level until April 2030, when they will increase annually by inflation.The following analysis of the impact of freezing the repayment and interest thresholds to aid the decision:Average Lifetime repayments (2024/25 financial year prices)BaselinePolicyImpact£%Entire cohort£27,000£28,300£1,3005%AverageLifetime graduate earnings decile1£2,000£2,000£00%2£4,300£4,700£4009%3£7,700£8,100£4005%4£11,600£13,000£1,40012%5£16,900£18,500£1,6009%6£23,100£25,200£2,1009%7£31,300£33,600£2,3007%8£41,200£43,500£2,3006%9£54,500£56,100£1,6003%10£59,100£59,500£4001%We also do not hold the proportion of borrowers projected to repay of their student loan than the graduate earnings premium attributable to their degree.

What the estimated total additional lifetime repayment cost of the Plan 2 threshold freeze announced in Autumn Budget 2025 is for borrowers earning at (a) £30,000, (b) £40,000, (c) £50,000, (d) £60,000, (e) £66,000, (f) £75,000 and (g) £90,000.

The department does not hold estimates of lifetime repayment costs for Plan 2 borrowers by earnings bands.The Autumn Budget included freezes to Plan 2 repayment and interest thresholds for at their 2026/27 financial year level until April 2030, when they will increase annually by inflation.The following analysis of the impact of freezing the repayment and interest thresholds to aid the decision:Average Lifetime repayments (2024/25 financial year prices)BaselinePolicyImpact£%Entire cohort£27,000£28,300£1,3005%AverageLifetime graduate earnings decile1£2,000£2,000£00%2£4,300£4,700£4009%3£7,700£8,100£4005%4£11,600£13,000£1,40012%5£16,900£18,500£1,6009%6£23,100£25,200£2,1009%7£31,300£33,600£2,3007%8£41,200£43,500£2,3006%9£54,500£56,100£1,6003%10£59,100£59,500£4001%We also do not hold the proportion of borrowers projected to repay of their student loan than the graduate earnings premium attributable to their degree.

What was the repayment forecast for Plan 2 student loan graduates in each of the last five years compared to actual repayments in each of those years.

The actual repayments for plan 2 are published in Figure 14 on this page:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-loans-in-england-2024-to-2025/student-loans-in-england-financial-year-2024-25#income-contingent-loan-borrower-repayment-status.The forecasts for Plan 2 are published here:2020/21: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/537c9923-1dee-4dd7-03b6-08de802d14ab.2021/22: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/72cb044b-3268-42b8-2298-08de802e40a1.2022/23: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/63aca262-3422-41f2-03b4-08de802d14ab.2023/24: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/8be5221a-77a1-4544-2297-08de802e40a1.2024/25: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/8b17045b-d933-4ac1-03af-08de802d14ab.Forecasts are always likely to deviate from actuals due to uncertainty around many factors. Forecasts are based on the most up to date inputs available. Even looking only a year into the future, factors affecting repayments are likely to deviate from model inputs, especially in times of greater economic uncertainty. Over time, improvements to modelling methodology also affect accuracy of forecasts.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2026 to Question 113311 Private Education: Single Sex Education, how the Department records and retains information on applications by independent schools for approval of material changes.

Information regarding applications for approval to make a material change is recorded and retained on the Independent Education and School Safeguarding Division's customer relationship management system, against the school’s individual record. Once a material change application is approved, the department's publicly available register of schools in England, the ‘Get Information About Schools’ service, is amended to reflect the change to the school's registered details.

Pursuant to Question 115946 on Students: Loans, whether her Department holds the data requested on the number and proportion of people with Plan 2 student loans who had an effective marginal deduction rate of at least (a) 51 per cent and (b) 71 per cent in the 2024–25 tax year as a result of the combined effects of Income Tax, employee National Insurance contributions and Plan 2 student loan repayments.

Producing an answer to this question would be a significant analytical task at disproportionate cost. We will continue to keep the terms of the system under review to ensure the system protects taxpayers and students now and in the future.

How many and what proportion of people with Plan 2 student loans had an effective marginal deduction rate of at least (a) 51 per cent and (b) 71 per cent as a result of the combined effects of Income Tax, employee National Insurance contributions and Plan 2 student loan repayments in the 2024-25 tax year.

The Plan 2 Student Loan Scheme was introduced in 2012 under the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Coalition Government. The student finance system is heavily subsidised by government, and lower-earning graduates will always be protected, with any outstanding loan and interest cancelled at the end of the repayment term. It is right that those who are able to repay loans do so. We will continue to keep the terms of the system under review to ensure the system protects taxpayers and students now and in the future.

What estimate she has made of the long-term fiscal impact of replacing RPI with CPI for Plan 2 student loan interest.

Interest rates on student loans have been consistently linked to a widely recognised and adopted measure of inflation. Interest rates are set in legislation in reference to the Retail Price Index (RPI) (from the previous March) and are applied annually on 1 September until 31 August.The Office for National Statistics has undertaken a substantial programme of work over the past two years to enhance how inflation is measured and this will be carried over into student loans. The Office for Budget Responsibility has confirmed that from 2030 (at the earliest), movements in RPI will be aligned with Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers' housing costs as viewed here: https://obr.uk/box/the-long-run-difference-between-rpi-and-cpi-inflation/.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the interest charged on Plan 2 student loans for meeting the Government’s cost of (a) borrowing to finance those loans and (b) estimated write-offs.

The estimated write offs are reflected in the Resource and Accounting Budget (RAB) charge, the government subsidy anticipated on student loans issued in any particular financial year. The RAB charge is forecast at 32% of total full-time plan 2 loans issued in 2024/25.

What estimate she has made of the net present value impact on the public finances of capping total interest on Plan 2 student loans at 20 per cent of the original principal.

The department does not hold analysis on the impact on the public finances of capping total interest on Plan 2 student loans at 20% of the original principal value of the loan.

How much and what proportion of the downward revaluation of the student loan book in the latest outturn reflects (a) revised graduate earnings and repayment assumptions and (b) changes in the discount rate used to value future repayments.

As of 31 March 2025, the fair value of the student loan book was £157.9 billion, representing a £6.9 billion increase on the opening balance of £151.0 billion.The fair value loss in the 2024/25 financial year was £8.6 billion. Of this, the change in the discount rate brought about a £280 million gain. The residual loss was £6.7 billion, which was impacted by changes in macroeconomic determinants such as the Office for Budget Responsibility’s earnings outlook, which was more pessimistic than in the prior year.

What comparative assessment her Department has made of the (a) average repayment duration and (b) total interest paid over the life of the loan for (i) male and (ii) female Plan 2 student loan borrowers.

The median repayment duration of loans for students in the final cohort of Plan 2 borrowers, those who commenced study in the 2022/23 academic year, is 30 years. This is consistent with the average borrower in this cohort not being forecast to fully repay their loan and instead have some loan debt written off after 30 years. Information on repayment behaviour for this cohort is published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/student-loan-forecasts-for-england/2022-23.The department does not hold figures comparing the lifetime repayment duration for male and female Plan 2 borrowers or the total interest paid over the life of the loan.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of effective marginal deduction rates exceeding 50 per cent on Plan 2 student loan borrowers’ labour supply, including decisions on a) overtime, b) hours worked and c) promotions.

Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by the previous government and, given the inherited fiscal situation, the department is making tough but necessary decisions.Graduates only begin repaying their student loan once earnings exceed the earnings threshold, after which they pay 9% of income above that level. At the end of the tax year, a borrower with total earnings below the annual student loan repayment threshold, may reclaim any repayments made where a pay period threshold was exceeded.If earnings fall below the repayment threshold, borrowers are not required to make repayments, regardless of their plan. Any outstanding loan, including interest accrued, will be cancelled after the loan term ends, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.