Written questions by McMurdock.

With reference to her Department’s press release entitled New UK-France agreement to reduce illegal crossings, published on 23 April 2026, what mechanisms are in place to monitor the productivity and operational outputs of the additional personnel.

The United Kingdom and France have signed an agreement to strengthen operations to combat illegal migration in northern France to prevent crossings to the United Kingdom with a significant increase in dedicated law enforcement, technological and intelligence resources. The new funding arrangement represents an evolution from previous iterations. For the first time ever, the funding uplift will be conditional on results and reducing illegal migration. Of the total £662 million that compose the new funding arrangement, the UK has committed to a foundation fund of £501m over three years and a new flexible fund of £50m in year 1 and £110m in years 2 and 3.This new deal is underpinned by robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to ensure every intervention is evidence-led and responsive to changing circumstances. The innovations in the flexible fund will be reviewed annually. If the new tactics are not successful, funding will stop after one year. Every pound spent will target results, maximising the effectiveness of UK investment to reduce small boat crossings.We are working with France to develop the right metrics to evaluate success – including measures like arrests and disruptions. This is a partnership – we are working together on a shared problem.

With reference to her Department’s press release entitled Decisive action to break influence of gas on electricity prices, published on 21 April 2026, what assessment her has made of the potential impact of the (a) increase of the rate and (b) the duration of the Electricity Generator Levy on household bills.

The government does not expect the increase in the Electricity Generator Levy (EGL) rate from 1 July to increase bills for consumers. The EGL applies only to existing, older renewable generators when wholesale prices are above a benchmark price of £82.61 per MWh. These generators receive larger revenues when wholesale prices rise with gas prices, without commensurate increased costs. Increasing the EGL will ensure a proportion of any exceptional revenue that generators receive because of the conflict in the Middle East is available to Government to support businesses and households with their cost of living.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled Decisive action to break influence of gas on electricity prices, published on 21 April 2026, which electricity generators plan to participate in voluntary fixed-price schemes.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

With reference to her Department's Guide to the Mode Shift Revenue Support (MSRS) Scheme, published in January 2026, how many MSRS-supported freight movements have travelled through East Tilbury station in each of the last three years.

The Department for Transport does not collect information about MSRS-supported freight movements via stations. The scheme divides Great Britain into 18 zones. Zone 1 covers East Tilbury station. The number of intermodal rail freight flows to and from Zone 1 over the past three financial years awarded at the main February bid rounds are as follows: Financial YearNo. of Flows2026/27102025/2692024/259

With reference to her Department’s press release entitled New UK-France agreement to reduce illegal crossings, published on 23 April 2026, what proportion of the additional personnel will be engaged in (a) coastal patrols, (b) inland enforcement and (c) intelligence-gathering activities.

The United Kingdom and France have signed an agreement to strengthen operations to combat illegal migration in northern France to prevent crossings to the United Kingdom with a significant increase in dedicated law enforcement, technological and intelligence resources. Under the previous funding arrangement, around 750 law enforcement personnel were deployed to French beaches. The actions of these personnel have contributed to 42,000 attempted crossings stopped since the election. French beaches will now see a 40% increase in law enforcement, intelligence and military officers to track down and stop illegal migrants boarding boats and bring people smugglers to justice.The priority of these officers is to stop small boat crossings, and the nature of their deployment will be on the operational need and nature of the threat. It would be incorrect to strictly categorise the officers into coastal patrols, inland enforcement and intelligence-gathering activities.This uplift in resource will be front-loaded. This includes five specialist police units who will be in place this summer, including a permanent riot squad to respond to escalating migrant violence. This deal will also provide enhanced surveillance, expanded French maritime tactics, and new detention capacity to increase removals from France. The new arrangement will increase the number of officers deployed daily up to nearly 1,100 by year 3 of the funding arrangement.The additional personnel will be directly employed by the French government. The Home Office is not in possession of data on retention rates of personnel deployed under previous UK-funded border enforcement arrangements in France.All of the additional units will be operational on a full-time basis. In addition, the Compagnie de Marche, a specialist unit with elite public order powers, will be surged during the summer months, historically the busiest time for small boat crossings.

With reference to the Guide to the Mode Shift Revenue Support Scheme, published in January 2026, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of (a) intermodal rail, (b) bulk rail and (c) inland waterway freight supported under that scheme.

The Department for Transport is currently evaluating the Mode Shift Revenue Support (MSRS) scheme to assess its performance and impact. This evaluation builds upon the Call for Evidence and stakeholder engagement sessions that took place across December 2023 to February 2024. Through this, feedback was gathered from rail and maritime freight operators, customers of operators, ports, trade associations, and pressure groups. Details of the outcome of the Call for Evidence can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/mode-shift-grants-review/outcome/mode-shift-grants-review-outcome. We are considering this combined evidence and feedback to ensure we most effectively support those businesses seeking to move freight by means other than by road when the MSRS scheme expires in March 2027.

With reference to her Department’s press release entitled New UK-France agreement to reduce illegal crossings, published on 23 April 2026, what estimate she has made of the proportional reduction in small boat crossings resulting from that agreement over each year of its duration.

Illegal small boat crossings are driven by organised criminal gangs and have cost lives. The result is a severe strain on both our asylum system and our wider social contract. Since 2021, over 400,000 people have claimed asylum in the UK. At its peak in 2023, there were 400 asylum hotels across the country, at a daily cost of £9 million, paid for by the taxpayer. This Government’s determination to crack down on small boats is clear. No one should be making dangerous journeys, undermining our border security and putting lives at risk. We must restore order and control to our borders. That means bearing down on these dangerous crossings and bringing people smugglers to justice. The United Kingdom and France have signed an agreement to strengthen operations to combat illegal migration in northern France to prevent crossings to the UK with a significant increase in dedicated law enforcement, technological and intelligence resources.The new multi-year partnership with France represents a necessary step-change. French beaches will see a surge in law enforcement, intelligence and military officers to track down illegal migrants and stop them boarding boats in Northern France. For the first time ever, the funding uplift will be conditional on results and reducing illegal migration. Of the total £662 million that compose the new funding arrangement, the UK has committed to a foundation fund of £501m over three years and a new flexible fund of £50m in year 1 and £110m in years 2 and 3. If the new tactics are not successful, funding will stop after one year.The new agreement reflects sustained ministerial and operational engagement, including the UK-France Leaders Declaration and close working between the Border Security Command, the NCA, and French law enforcement and maritime authorities. Our close engagement with France since the general election has led to improvement of the law enforcement response in northern France, such as the introduction of specialist, dedicated police units. It has also led to an improved understanding of what delivers the most impact.Joint action is already delivering results. Over 42,000 crossing attempts have been prevented since the election. Joint law enforcement operations have also seen 480 migrant traffickers arrested in 2025 alone. However, despite these successes, we must not be complacent. I acknowledge that there is no silver bullet in tackling this crisis. We must go further and faster to tackle this issue together with France, which is why this deal is so important.

With reference to her Department’s press release entitled New UK-France agreement to reduce illegal crossings, published on 23 April 2026, what data her Department will collect to measure the operational effectiveness of the dedicated French unit to combat illegal immigration.

The United Kingdom and France have signed an agreement to strengthen operations to combat illegal migration in northern France to prevent crossings to the United Kingdom with a significant increase in dedicated law enforcement, technological and intelligence resources. The new funding arrangement represents an evolution from previous iterations. For the first time ever, the funding uplift will be conditional on results and reducing illegal migration. Of the total £662 million that compose the new funding arrangement, the UK has committed to a foundation fund of £501m over three years and a new flexible fund of £50m in year 1 and £110m in years 2 and 3.This new deal is underpinned by robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to ensure every intervention is evidence-led and responsive to changing circumstances. The innovations in the flexible fund will be reviewed annually. If the new tactics are not successful, funding will stop after one year. Every pound spent will target results, maximising the effectiveness of UK investment to reduce small boat crossings.We are working with France to develop the right metrics to evaluate success – including measures like arrests and disruptions. This is a partnership – we are working together on a shared problem.

With reference to her Department's Guide to the Mode Shift Revenue Support (MSRS) Scheme, published in January 2026, what assessment has she made of the adequacy of infrastructure serving East Tilbury station and the road traffic affected by its level crossing, to support increased uptake of the scheme.

The Mode Shift Revenue Support scheme is designed to encourage modal shift by assisting with the operating costs associated with running rail or inland water freight transport instead of road, where rail or inland waterway transport is more expensive. Infrastructure improvements cannot be funded through the scheme; as a result, the Department does not assess the adequacy of infrastructure to support increased uptake of the scheme. The MSRS continues to support freight movement near East Tilbury station and London Gateway, with 10 freight flows supported in 2026/27 with a total grant award of £6.9m.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled Decisive action to break influence of gas on electricity prices, published on 21 April 2026, what timetable he has set for full implementation of those measures.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled Decisive action to break influence of gas on electricity prices, published on 21 April 2026, what proportion of UK electricity generation will be covered by fixed-price arrangements following implementation of the proposed measures.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

With reference to their Department’s press release entitled New powers to protect vital free speech at universities, published on 20 April 2026, what assessment she has made of any role of student societies linked to foreign states in influencing campus discourse.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled Decisive action to break influence of gas on electricity prices, published on 21 April 2026, what estimate he has made of the average annual saving per household from that policy.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled Decisive action to break influence of gas on electricity prices, published on 21 April 2026, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of that policy on electricity prices for industrial users.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

With reference to their Department’s press release entitled New powers to protect vital free speech at universities, published on 20 April 2026, what assessment she has made of the scale of free speech breaches in higher education institutions in the last five years.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

With reference to their Department’s press release entitled New powers to protect vital free speech at universities, published on 20 April 2026, what criteria will be used by the Office for Students to determine whether a university has failed to uphold its duties on freedom of speech.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

With reference to their Department’s press release entitled New powers to protect vital free speech at universities, published on 20 April 2026, whether she has had discussions with the security services on identifying threats from hostile state actors in higher education.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

With reference to their Department’s press release entitled New powers to protect vital free speech at universities, published on 20 April 2026, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that students, staff and visiting speakers are aware of their rights under the new complaints scheme.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

With reference to their Department’s press release entitled New powers to protect vital free speech at universities, published on 20 April 2026, what assessment she has made of the role of external actors, including foreign states, in influencing free speech on UK campuses.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled Decisive action to break influence of gas on electricity prices, published on 21 April 2026, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed measures on household electricity bills.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.