Written questions by Dillon.

Whether she will make an assessment of the potential merits of adjusting the duration of Ukrainian visas to align with the academic school year.

To provide future certainty, Ukrainians provided with temporary sanctuary in the UK under the Ukraine visa schemes can apply for a further 18 months’ permission to remain in the UK through the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme, which opened to applications on 4 February 2025.Those granted further permission to remain in the UK under the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme will receive the same rights and entitlements to access work, benefits, healthcare and education as provided under the existing Ukraine Schemes.We recognise the Ukrainian government’s desire for the future return of its citizens to Ukraine. It is important our approach respects these wishes. This is why the temporary Ukraine Schemes do not lead to settlement in the UK.Individuals with permission under one of the Ukraine schemes have access to standard immigration routes to remain in the UK once their permission expires, in order to complete higher education courses they commence during their initial period of permission.Individuals will have continued access to student support and home fee status where they can show they have been granted further leave to remain in the UK.We will, of course, continue to keep the Ukraine Schemes under consistent review in line with developments in the ongoing war.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes in the level of funding on Fire and Rescue services; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding to Fire and Rescue services through the Local Government Settlement.

MHCLG published the final Local Government Settlement on 5 February 2024 setting out the referendum principles for Local Authorities in 2024/25. All standalone FRAs will be able to increase their council tax by the core referendum limit of 3%. Standalone FRAs utilised this flexibility, which raised £42.6m in 2024/25.Overall, fire and rescue authorities will receive around £2.87 billion in 2024/25. It is the responsibility of each fire and rescue authority to determine how to allocate that funding based on its analysis of risk and local circumstances. The Government will continue to work closely with stakeholders across the sector to ensure fire and rescue services have the resources they need to keep the public safe.Funding for Local Authorities in 2025/26 will be announced at the provisional Local Government Settlement later this year.

What steps she plans to take to improve the (a) cost, (b) accessibility and (c) appeal process of visa applications.

The Government regularly reviews the cost and accessibility of visas and process of appeals to ensure that public services are efficient and provide value for money to the taxpayer.