Written questions by Wrigley.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of cutting funding for Adoption South West on parents of adopted children in Devon; and when the funding for 2025-26 will be announced.

The department will shortly be finalising business planning decisions on how its budget will be allocated for the next financial year. All decisions regarding the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) are being made as part of these discussions. An announcement will be made as soon as possible.ASGSF therapy applications are generally permitted to extend up to 12 months, allowing children and families to receive continuing therapy across financial years.Applications for the fund with therapy starting in this financial year are still being accepted and processed under business as usual.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will submit an environmental information request to South West Water seeking to obtain details of the (a) testing and (b) monitoring they have carried out along the River Teign in the last five years.

Access to testing and monitoring data is vital for transparency and to hold water companies to account to deliver protections for our rivers, lakes and seas. There are a number of provisions to ensure that Government, regulators and the public have access to the information about discharges from water company assets. The Environment Agency undertakes statutory bathing water samples to test for microbiological water quality including faecal indicator organisms at Teignmouth Town, Shaldon and Ness Cove, and six additional freshwater sites along the River Teign, during the bathing water season. High readings will be investigated. This data is published on the EA’s Swimfo bathing waters website so that the public can make an informed decision before swimming. Since 1 January 2025, water companies are required to publish data related to discharges from all storm overflows within one hour of the discharge beginning. This data can be found on the South West Water website.

What estimate she has made of the number of (a) Russian (ii) shadow fleet and (ii) trade vessels and (b) other vessels that have travelled to and from Russian ports that have entered UK waters in the last 12 months.

I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave on 07 February 2025, to Question 27704.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to introduce a community right to buy for (a) social landlords and (b) community-led housing organisations.

Through the English Devolution Bill, we will introduce a ‘right to buy’ to empower local people to bring community assets, such as shops, pubs and community centres, into community ownership. There are no plans for this to apply to social or community-led housing.

Communities and Local Government, if her Department will introduce a community right to buy for social landlords and community-led housing organisations.

Through the English Devolution Bill, we will introduce a ‘right to buy’ to empower local people to bring community assets, such as shops, pubs and community centres, into community ownership. There are no plans for this to apply to social or community-led housing.

If she will meet with hon. Members representing constituencies in Devon to discuss (a) the recent Ofsted report in Devon and (b) SEND provision.

The department has been working closely with Devon County Council since Ofsted’s inspection of children’s services in March 2020, in which services were found to be ‘inadequate’ overall and were placed in formal intervention under a Statutory Direction.In September 2022, the department issued Devon with an Improvement Notice for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and an Accelerated Progress Plan (APP) was developed with the local authority and integrated care board (ICB). The department is working with all statutory partners involved in delivering SEND services in Devon to monitor and support improvement, which includes the deployment of SEND advisers to assist the local area and to offer advice.In October 2024, children’s services in Devon were inspected by Ofsted. Publication of the report has been delayed as a part of Ofsted’s quality assurance processes. Once confirmed, findings from the report will be used as part of our wider evidence base to help shape the longer-term approach to supporting children’s services at the Council.Following the conclusion of Ofsted’s quality assurance process and the publication of the inspection report, I would welcome the opportunity to meet with the hon. Members for constituencies in Devon to discuss progress and next steps to our intervention of both children’s services and SEND in Devon.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to require new local authorities to consult National Park authorities on potential planning applications.

New local authorities, including unitary authorities, are required to consult the National Park authority concerned on “development likely to affect land in a National Park,” as prescribed in Sch. 4 of The Town and Country (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015.

Media and Sport, if the Government will fully implement the recommendations of the Leveson Report.

The Government has clearly laid out its priorities in the manifesto and in the King’s speech, and the second part of Leveson is not among them. This Government has no current plans for further legislation in this area.

Media and Sport, whether she has commissioned research into trends in the level of public trust in the UK press; and whether she plans to take steps to help increase this trust.

We are aware that news consumption habits are changing and many are increasingly turning to less trustworthy news sources. The Government is committed to supporting a free, sustainable and plural media landscape, as the best way to maintain a shared understanding of facts. Relevant work here includes the next BBC Charter Review, our Local Media Strategy, and the implementation of recent legislation on broadcasting, digital competition and online safety.We will take an evidence-based approach to all of this work, and any research that we commission on trends in public trust in the UK press will be published in line with Government policy and build on previous relevant research from Ofcom, the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and others.

Media and Sport, whether she plans to shift to using the Impress regulator.

The Government is committed to protecting press freedom, which is essential to a strong and functioning democracy. In the UK, there exists an independent, self-regulatory system for the press, which is crucial to maintain press freedom.The Government therefore does not use, intervene in or oversee the work of Impress or other independent press regulators.

Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to commission a follow-up to the Leveson report.

The Government has clearly laid out its priorities in the manifesto and in the King’s speech, and the second part of Leveson is not among them. This Government has no current plans for further legislation in this area.

Communities and Local Government, whether the Government has plans to introduce a cap on political donations.

Effective regulation of political finance is crucial for maintaining public trust in our electoral systems. The Government is committed to strengthening our democracy and upholding the integrity of elections and, as stated in our manifesto, we intend to strengthen the rules around donations to political parties to protect our democracy. My department is developing proposals to give effect to these commitments and will share details with Parliament in due course.Political parties play a vital role in our democracy, and it is important that they are able to fundraise effectively and communicate with the electorate. The law sets out that it is the responsibility of political parties to take reasonable steps to verify the identity of a donor and whether they are permissible. The Government will take any necessary steps to ensure those requirements are tightened and abided by.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 29255 on Immigration: Overseas Students, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the student visa process on the international student experience.

An evaluation of the Student visa has been published on Gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/student-visa-views-of-students-and-higher-education-institutions.

If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of cardiac services in (a) Torbay, (b) Teignbridge and (c) South Hams.

There is a concerted focus in Devon on improving cardiology services, with support from regional and national colleagues, after being identified by the system as an area for action.Work is under way to reduce cardiology waiting times and strengthen the quality of care for patients across the county, with all units, including Torbay, playing their full part. Clinicians are working closely together, taking advantage of capacity across the system, and sharing good practice. As a result, the number of cardiology patients waiting over a year in Devon has fallen from 930 to 577, representing a drop of 38%, in the past 18 months.Regional support for the cardiology work in Devon is being provided by the South West Cardiac Network, which brings together specialists from across the region.National support for the cardiology work in Devon is being provided by NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time programme, with advice from the National Clinical Director for Heart Disease.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 29255 on Immigration: Overseas Students, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of international students on UK universities.

This government is clear that international students, who make a positive impact on UK higher education (HE), our economy and society as a whole, are welcome in the UK. They bring significant benefits, by enriching our university campuses, forging lifelong friendships with our domestic students and becoming global ambassadors for the UK.HE providers in the UK received an estimated £12.1 billion in tuition fee income from international students in the 2022/23 academic year, which supported the provision of places for domestic students and research and development.The Office for Students (OfS) is the independent regulator of English HE providers. In its most recent report on the financial health of the sector, published November 2024, the OfS assessed the risks to provider financial sustainability and overreliance on recruitment of students from particular countries was noted as a particular concern.The OfS emphasised that the HE sector should be cautious about depending too much on international student fee income in their recruitment forecasts and urged institutions to have strong contingency plans to mitigate the financial risks of over-recruiting from a single country.All providers must continue to adapt to financial risks and, as autonomous bodies independent of government, it is for them to decide on effective business models.

Communities and Local Government, if she will introduce legislation to regulate political donations made by foreign nationals via companies.

Effective regulation of political finance is crucial for maintaining public trust in our electoral systems. The Government is committed to strengthening our democracy and upholding the integrity of elections and, as stated in our manifesto, we intend to strengthen the rules around donations to political parties to protect our democracy. My department is developing proposals to give effect to these commitments and will share details with Parliament in due course.Political parties play a vital role in our democracy, and it is important that they are able to fundraise effectively and communicate with the electorate. The law sets out that it is the responsibility of political parties to take reasonable steps to verify the identity of a donor and whether they are permissible. The Government will take any necessary steps to ensure those requirements are tightened and abided by.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 29255 on Immigration: Overseas Students, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of financial pressures on (a) UK and (b) international students.

This government is clear that international students, who make a positive impact on UK higher education (HE), our economy and society as a whole, are welcome in the UK. They bring significant benefits, by enriching our university campuses, forging lifelong friendships with our domestic students and becoming global ambassadors for the UK.HE providers in the UK received an estimated £12.1 billion in tuition fee income from international students in the 2022/23 academic year, which supported the provision of places for domestic students and research and development.The Office for Students (OfS) is the independent regulator of English HE providers. In its most recent report on the financial health of the sector, published November 2024, the OfS assessed the risks to provider financial sustainability and overreliance on recruitment of students from particular countries was noted as a particular concern.The OfS emphasised that the HE sector should be cautious about depending too much on international student fee income in their recruitment forecasts and urged institutions to have strong contingency plans to mitigate the financial risks of over-recruiting from a single country.All providers must continue to adapt to financial risks and, as autonomous bodies independent of government, it is for them to decide on effective business models.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to commission a review into the potential merits of introducing a cap on political donations including (a) at what level a cap should be and (b) what the potential impact of such a cap would be.

Effective regulation of political finance is crucial for maintaining public trust in our electoral systems. The Government is committed to strengthening our democracy and upholding the integrity of elections and, as stated in our manifesto, we intend to strengthen the rules around donations to political parties to protect our democracy. My department is developing proposals to give effect to these commitments and will share details with Parliament in due course.Political parties play a vital role in our democracy, and it is important that they are able to fundraise effectively and communicate with the electorate. The law sets out that it is the responsibility of political parties to take reasonable steps to verify the identity of a donor and whether they are permissible. The Government will take any necessary steps to ensure those requirements are tightened and abided by.

If he will make an estimate of changes to the level of operating costs for (a) end-of-life nursing, (b) mental health support services, (c) home care, (d) assisted living facilities and (e) other social care and support services due to increases to employer National Insurance contributions and the forthcoming increase in the National Living Wage from April 2025 in Devon.

We took necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at Autumn Budget 2024, which enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26.The Employer National Insurance rise will be implemented from April 2025. The Government will provide support for departments for additional Employer National Insurance Contributions costs for public sector employers only, and the level of funding will be confirmed at main estimates shortly. The approach to National Health Service commissioned end-of-life nursing, community and mental health support services has been set out in NHS Planning Guidance and will be subject to local negotiation with providers.For staff on Agenda for Change (AfC) dynamic contracts, as the 2025/26 pay round will not have concluded by 1 April 2025, it will be necessary to implement an increase to AfC entry pay from 1 April 2025 to maintain compliance with the National Minimum Wage. This will be an advance payment of the 2025/26 pay recommendations, and the final pay award will be given following the conclusion of the Pay Review Body process. This advance will apply to approximately 250,000 AfC staff across band 1 (closed grade), both pay points in band 2 and the entry point of band 3 to ensure NHS pay sits above the National Living Wage. These pay points will receive an advance pay uplift of 28p per hour, representing a temporary 2.3% pay uplift.The Government considered the cost pressures facing adult social care as part of the wider consideration of local government spending within the Spending Review process. The Government is making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which can be used to address the range of pressures facing the adult social care sector. Overall, core local government spending power will increase by 6.8% in cash terms in 2025/26.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 29255 on Immigration: Overseas Students, if she will take steps to promote UK universities to international students.

This government has made clear that we welcome international students, who make a positive impact on the UK’s higher education (HE) sector and our economy and society as a whole.My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education is leading our efforts to promote our great universities to international students. In her first speech, in July 2024, and in subsequent video messages, she has set out that the UK is an attractive overseas study destination with high quality education institutions that will support international students throughout their studies.The UK has a world-class HE sector with four universities in the world university rankings top 10, and 15 in the top 100, alongside a wide array of leading institutions which can offer a fulfilling and enjoyable experience to international students from around the world.International students enrich our university campuses, forge lifelong friendships with our domestic students and become global ambassadors for the UK. That is why we offer them the opportunity to work or remain in the UK, and contribute to the society and economy, for two or three years after their studies.