Written questions by McMurdock.

What plans she has to strengthen the UK-France Agreement on the Prevention of Dangerous Journeys to ensure that deported migrants do not return to the UK.

We are continuously monitoring and evaluating the Agreement to ensure its continuing effectiveness, with a full evaluation to be completed at the end of the pilot period.As of Friday 28 November, 153 returns have taken place under the exchange agreement. Anyone who re-enters illegally may face immediate detention and, where appropriate, we will seek to expedite removal. This will not count as a new removal in the reciprocal scheme.We continue close cooperation with France to strengthen border security and disrupt criminal smuggling gangs. Our ongoing partnership with French law enforcement has prevented over 21,000 crossing attempts to the UK this year.

What steps she is taking to ensure that the use of return hubs will not be subject to external judicial scrutiny.

The Government has been clear we will continue to work with international partners to tackle the global migration crisis. Our guiding principle will always be that any partnership must be workable and meet our international obligations.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including breaktime quality indicators within a) school wellbeing and b) inspection frameworks.

Play is an essential part of a child’s development and learning, as recognised in the early years foundation stage statutory framework. Schools, governing bodies and academy trusts are responsible for ensuring the school day includes opportunities for social interaction, physical activity and enrichment activities. The department’s guidance sets out an expectation that the school week in all state-funded mainstream schools should be at least 32.5 hours including breaks, providing opportunity for schools to incorporate time for play and other enrichment activities. This guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/length-of-the-school-week-minimum-expectation. As part of the department’s work to develop a good practice framework to help schools increase pupil engagement, we will consider the evidence around effective use of breaktimes and other elements of the school day that can support engagement. While Ofsted does not inspect breaktime quality, inspectors will observe and talk to pupils on breaktimes, and this will form part of their consideration of the school.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of not holding data on the number of pupils with irregular immigration status on school funding allocations.

The schools national funding formula (NFF) allocates funding based on the characteristics of schools and their pupils. The immigration status of pupils has no impact on the funding allocated.

What assessment she has made of (a) trends in the level of access to playtime between different schools and (b) the potential impact of variations between schools on children’s development.

Play is an essential part of a child’s development and learning, as recognised in the early years foundation stage statutory framework. Schools, governing bodies and academy trusts are responsible for ensuring the school day includes opportunities for social interaction, physical activity and enrichment activities. The department’s guidance sets out an expectation that the school week in all state-funded mainstream schools should be at least 32.5 hours including breaks, providing opportunity for schools to incorporate time for play and other enrichment activities. This guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/length-of-the-school-week-minimum-expectation. As part of the department’s work to develop a good practice framework to help schools increase pupil engagement, we will consider the evidence around effective use of breaktimes and other elements of the school day that can support engagement. While Ofsted does not inspect breaktime quality, inspectors will observe and talk to pupils on breaktimes, and this will form part of their consideration of the school.

What guidance she provides to schools on minimum expectations for playtime duration during the school day.

Play is an essential part of a child’s development and learning, as recognised in the early years foundation stage statutory framework. Schools, governing bodies and academy trusts are responsible for ensuring the school day includes opportunities for social interaction, physical activity and enrichment activities. The department’s guidance sets out an expectation that the school week in all state-funded mainstream schools should be at least 32.5 hours including breaks, providing opportunity for schools to incorporate time for play and other enrichment activities. This guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/length-of-the-school-week-minimum-expectation. As part of the department’s work to develop a good practice framework to help schools increase pupil engagement, we will consider the evidence around effective use of breaktimes and other elements of the school day that can support engagement. While Ofsted does not inspect breaktime quality, inspectors will observe and talk to pupils on breaktimes, and this will form part of their consideration of the school.

What steps she is taking to ensure that schools provide adequate unstructured play opportunities to support pupils’ wellbeing and development.

Play is an essential part of a child’s development and learning, as recognised in the early years foundation stage statutory framework. Schools, governing bodies and academy trusts are responsible for ensuring the school day includes opportunities for social interaction, physical activity and enrichment activities. The department’s guidance sets out an expectation that the school week in all state-funded mainstream schools should be at least 32.5 hours including breaks, providing opportunity for schools to incorporate time for play and other enrichment activities. This guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/length-of-the-school-week-minimum-expectation. As part of the department’s work to develop a good practice framework to help schools increase pupil engagement, we will consider the evidence around effective use of breaktimes and other elements of the school day that can support engagement. While Ofsted does not inspect breaktime quality, inspectors will observe and talk to pupils on breaktimes, and this will form part of their consideration of the school.

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the availability of anonymised data relevant to children with irregular migrant status who are enrolled in schools.

Every child who is resident in England has a right to a school place irrespective of their nationality or immigration status therefore this data is not collected.

What assessment she has made of whether road maintenance issues contribute to the pattern of road-traffic collisions in South Basildon and East Thurrock.

The Department has not made an assessment of whether road maintenance issues contribute to the pattern of road-traffic collisions in South Basildon and East Thurrock. This Government takes the condition of our country’s roads very seriously and is committed to supporting local authorities in maintaining and renewing the local highway network. At the Autumn Budget, the Chancellor announced that by 2029-30, the Government will commit over £2 billion annually for local authorities to repair and renew their roads and fix potholes – doubling funding since coming into office. This record level of funding is enough to fill millions of potholes each year, enabling the Government to exceed its commitment to fix an additional one million potholes per year. Local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area. The Act does not set out specific standards of maintenance, as it is for each individual local highway authority to assess which parts of its network need repair and what standards should be applied, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances.

What assessment she has made of the effect of reduced rural bus services on access to essential services, such as a) GP appointments, b) hospitals and c) educational facilities.

The Government knows that in rural areas, bus services can be a lifeline for many and can be the only means of accessing essential services, including healthcare and education, as well as other modes of public transportation such as rail links. The Government is taking action to help improve local bus services across the country and encourage greater integration between transport modes. We have introduced the Bus Services Act 2025 to put the power over local bus services back into the hands of local leaders, including in rural areas. In addition, the Government has confirmed over £1 billion for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. Essex County Council and Thurrock Council have been allocated £17.8 million and £2 million of this funding respectively, helping to improve bus services and connectivity across these areas. The Government also intends to publish its integrated national transport strategy soon to set the long-term vision for domestic transport across England. It will focus on creating a transport network that works well for people, including those in rural areas.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2025 to UIN 89916, whether Thurrock's 2026 local elections will be to elect all councillors; and whether he plans to amend the Thurrock (Electoral Changes) Order 2025.

The May 2026 elections to Thurrock Council are for all councillors. We have no plans to amend the 2025 Order.

What assessment she has made of the impact of limited bus routes in rural areas of South Basildon and East Thurrock on social isolation among residents who do not drive.

The Government knows that in rural areas, bus services can be a lifeline for many and can be the only means of accessing essential services, including healthcare and education, as well as other modes of public transportation such as rail links. The Government is taking action to help improve local bus services across the country and encourage greater integration between transport modes. We have introduced the Bus Services Act 2025 to put the power over local bus services back into the hands of local leaders, including in rural areas. In addition, the Government has confirmed over £1 billion for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. Essex County Council and Thurrock Council have been allocated £17.8 million and £2 million of this funding respectively, helping to improve bus services and connectivity across these areas. The Government also intends to publish its integrated national transport strategy soon to set the long-term vision for domestic transport across England. It will focus on creating a transport network that works well for people, including those in rural areas.

What steps she is taking to improve public transport connectivity in rural communities where residents have no alternative to driving.

The Government knows that in rural areas, bus services can be a lifeline for many and can be the only means of accessing essential services, including healthcare and education, as well as other modes of public transportation such as rail links. The Government is taking action to help improve local bus services across the country and encourage greater integration between transport modes. We have introduced the Bus Services Act 2025 to put the power over local bus services back into the hands of local leaders, including in rural areas. In addition, the Government has confirmed over £1 billion for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. Essex County Council and Thurrock Council have been allocated £17.8 million and £2 million of this funding respectively, helping to improve bus services and connectivity across these areas. The Government also intends to publish its integrated national transport strategy soon to set the long-term vision for domestic transport across England. It will focus on creating a transport network that works well for people, including those in rural areas.

What proportion of homes under the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme have been bought by first-time buyers.

The Government recognises the difficulties some prospective first-time buyers face in buying a home and is committed to helping them get on the housing ladder.The new Mortgage Guarantee Scheme is now permanently available to lenders, and is designed to support and sustain the availability of low deposit mortgage products for credit-worthy borrowers. 95% loan-to-value mortgage products can be particularly important for first-time buyers who may struggle to raise larger deposits, and the scheme aims to support this segment of the UK mortgage market.

Whether he plans to require Jobcentres to report on the number of claimants moved into a) full-time work, b) part-time work and c) training and skills provision.

The DWP do not publish statistics on the total number of customers who are supported by Jobcentres into different types of work or training. However, we have recently published analysis on into-work rates, including at the local authority and Jobcentre Plus district level, which can be found here: Get Britain Working: Labour Market Insights October 2025 - GOV.UK. The into-work rate is the proportion of Universal Credit ‘searching for work’ conditionality regime customers who have earnings in one assessment period who did not have earnings in the preceding assessment period. The average into-work rate for the 12 months to June 2025 in Great Britain was 7.4%. Over the same period the into-work rate for the local authorities Basildon and Thurrock were 7.4% and 8.2% respectively. For the Essex Jobcentre Plus district it was 8.5%. The DWP have published management information on SWAPs starts and employment outcomes since April 2021, which can be found here: Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) Management Information, April 2021 to September 2025 - GOV.UK. In financial year 2024/25, there were 86,730 starts on Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs).

Whether he plans to expand Health Accelerators beyond the three funded areas.

NHS Health and Growth Accelerators are testing a novel approach where local NHS systems - Northeast North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), South Yorkshire ICB and West Yorkshire ICB - are held accountable for the impact they have on people’s work status. The NHS 10-year plan for England states that if the Accelerators are successful, we will expect all ICBs to establish specific and measurable outcome targets on their contribution to reducing economic inactivity and unemployment based on this model. In order to embed the Accelerator model, we will work closely with ICBs to set their outcome target and will expect ICBs to seek the closest possible collaboration with local government partners - including mayors and strategic health authorities in particular - so that citizens benefit from a seamless work, health and skills offer in their area.

What assessment he has made of trends in the level of regional disparities in the unemployment-to-vacancy ratio; and what steps he is taking to help reduce those disparities.

The ONS do not publish statistics on the level of vacancies or unemployment-to-vacancy ratio at regional level. Every area in England is developing a local Get Britain Working plan. The local Get Britain Working Plans will bring local partners and service providers together to enable a collective understanding of the local challenges and enable a joined-up integrated approach on work, health and skills support to tackle labour market challenges.

How many people have moved into sustained employment as a result of the Health Accelerator initiatives.

Evidence on how many people have moved into sustained employment as a result of the NHS Health and Growth Accelerators programme will be set out in the full evaluation, which concludes in 2027/28.

What plans she has to increase targeted road-safety enforcement in areas of South Basildon and East Thurrock where collisions are most frequent.

Any form of dangerous or inconsiderate driving behaviour is a serious issue. We expect all drivers to follow the rules of the road.The Government is committed to improving road safety and reducing collisions across the country.The Department for Transport are developing a Road Safety Strategy, the first in a decade, which will include a broad range of proposals, including for motoring offences which we intend to publish by the end of the year.How the police enforce road traffic legislation and investigate road traffic collisions locally are operational matters for Chief Constables, in consultation with Police and Crime Commissioners.

How many claimants were supported by Jobcentres into work in the last 12 months.

The DWP do not publish statistics on the total number of customers who are supported by Jobcentres into different types of work or training. However, we have recently published analysis on into-work rates, including at the local authority and Jobcentre Plus district level, which can be found here: Get Britain Working: Labour Market Insights October 2025 - GOV.UK. The into-work rate is the proportion of Universal Credit ‘searching for work’ conditionality regime customers who have earnings in one assessment period who did not have earnings in the preceding assessment period. The average into-work rate for the 12 months to June 2025 in Great Britain was 7.4%. Over the same period the into-work rate for the local authorities Basildon and Thurrock were 7.4% and 8.2% respectively. For the Essex Jobcentre Plus district it was 8.5%. The DWP have published management information on SWAPs starts and employment outcomes since April 2021, which can be found here: Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) Management Information, April 2021 to September 2025 - GOV.UK. In financial year 2024/25, there were 86,730 starts on Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs).