Written questions by O'Brien.

How many people were exempted from the spouse visa financial requirements on account of receiving benefits which exempted them in the latest period for which data is available.

Where an individual is applying on the 5-year partner route, their partner must be in receipt of one or more of the specified disability related benefits in order to be subject to the ‘adequate maintenance test’ rather than the Minimum Income Requirement (MIR).Each application for permission under this route is considered on its merits and against the appropriate financial requirement. Data is not centrally held on the numbers of people who are required to meet the ‘adequate maintenance test’ rather than the MIR, and could only be collated for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2025 to Question 21364 on Further Education and Schools: Employers' Contributions, in which month her Department plans to pay the grant for the cost of national insurance.

Payment dates will be confirmed in due course.

What estimate she has made of personal remittances from the United Kingdom in each of the last five years, broken down by region.

Remittances from the United Kingdom to other countries are not taxable, as such HMRC does not hold this data.

What estimate she has made of the cost to local government of implementing the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

The department has conducted initial new burdens impact assessments, in line with normal practice, for measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. Once the new burdens assessments have been finalised, where it is assessed there is a new burden on local government, all additional net costs will be funded by central government in line with the New Burdens Doctrine.

How many calls to her Department were translated in each month since January 2021 for which data is available by language code; and what the cost of that translation was.

The Contract value for the 3-year term (9th May 2022 - 8th May 2025) is £23.1m which is inclusive of all calls and face to face services. This includes interpretation translation, British Sign Language, video remote services and staff support (internal British Sign language needs for DWP colleagues). We are unable to break this down by month as it is commercially sensitive.

What the value of illegal working civil penalties was in the last five years; and how many and what proportion of those penalties have been paid.

I refer the Honourable Member to my response to his previous question UIN 21664.

Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to set out the future of the Listed Places of Worship Grants Scheme before its current funding ends on 31 March 2025.

On the 22nd of January, I was pleased to announce that the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme would continue from March 2025 to March 2026. Further details can be found here in the Written Statement.

How many and what proportion of asylum claims in each local authority were (a) successful, (b) ongoing and (c) rejected since 2018.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the initial decision of asylum claims (including grants and refusals), and data on asylum claims awaiting initial decision, is published in tables Asy_D02 and Asy_D03 of the ‘Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement detailed datasets’ respectively. This data is not broken down by local authority.Local authority level data on people in the asylum system who are in receipt of support is published in table Asy_D11 of the ‘Asylum seekers in receipt of support by local authority detailed datasets’.The latest data relates to the year ending September 2024.

What the average attainment 8 score (a) overall, (b) for girls and (c) for boys was in each year for which data is available by ethnic group.

The average Progress 8 and Attainment 8 overall and for boys and girls by ethnic group are published at the following links:2018/19 to 2023/24: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/cb96bc10-b240-4f42-5969-08dd3479441b.2017/18: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/key-stage-4-and-multi-academy-trust-performance-2018-revised (See the “Characteristics national tables”, sheet “Characteristics Summary”).2016/17: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/revised-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2016-to-2017 (See the “Characteristics national tables”, sheet “Characteristics Summary”). The average Progress 8, Attainment 8, and percentage of pupils achieving grade 5 or above in English and mathematics GCSEs by ethnic group and region are published at the following links:2018/19 to 2023/24: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/9a0ba337-3764-486e-596e-08dd3479441b.2017/18: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/key-stage-4-and-multi-academy-trust-performance-2018-revised (See the “Characteristics local authority tables”, sheet “Table LA8”).2016/17: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/revised-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2016-to-2017 (See the “Characteristics local authority tables”, sheet SFR01/2018, sheet “Table LA8”).

What the average progress 8 score (a) overall, (b) for girls and (c) for boys was in each year for which data is available by ethnic group.

The average Progress 8 and Attainment 8 overall and for boys and girls by ethnic group are published at the following links:2018/19 to 2023/24: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/cb96bc10-b240-4f42-5969-08dd3479441b.2017/18: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/key-stage-4-and-multi-academy-trust-performance-2018-revised (See the “Characteristics national tables”, sheet “Characteristics Summary”).2016/17: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/revised-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2016-to-2017 (See the “Characteristics national tables”, sheet “Characteristics Summary”). The average Progress 8, Attainment 8, and percentage of pupils achieving grade 5 or above in English and mathematics GCSEs by ethnic group and region are published at the following links:2018/19 to 2023/24: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/9a0ba337-3764-486e-596e-08dd3479441b.2017/18: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/key-stage-4-and-multi-academy-trust-performance-2018-revised (See the “Characteristics local authority tables”, sheet “Table LA8”).2016/17: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/revised-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2016-to-2017 (See the “Characteristics local authority tables”, sheet SFR01/2018, sheet “Table LA8”).

What the average (a) progress 8 score, (b) attainment 8 score and (c) share of pupils getting grade 5 or above in English and maths was for each ethnic group in each region of England in each of the last eight years.

The average Progress 8 and Attainment 8 overall and for boys and girls by ethnic group are published at the following links:2018/19 to 2023/24: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/cb96bc10-b240-4f42-5969-08dd3479441b.2017/18: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/key-stage-4-and-multi-academy-trust-performance-2018-revised (See the “Characteristics national tables”, sheet “Characteristics Summary”).2016/17: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/revised-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2016-to-2017 (See the “Characteristics national tables”, sheet “Characteristics Summary”). The average Progress 8, Attainment 8, and percentage of pupils achieving grade 5 or above in English and mathematics GCSEs by ethnic group and region are published at the following links:2018/19 to 2023/24: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/9a0ba337-3764-486e-596e-08dd3479441b.2017/18: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/key-stage-4-and-multi-academy-trust-performance-2018-revised (See the “Characteristics local authority tables”, sheet “Table LA8”).2016/17: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/revised-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2016-to-2017 (See the “Characteristics local authority tables”, sheet SFR01/2018, sheet “Table LA8”).

How (a) many people were in receipt of and (b) much was spent on support under section (i) four, (ii) 95 and (iii) 98 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 in each year since 2015.

The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK.Prior to 2023/24 asylum support costs were not published separately.The government is determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly, and fairly, including reviewing all spending to ensure the best value for money for the British taxpayer.

How much her Department granted to the Choir Schools Association through the Music and Dance Scheme in each year since 2010.

The department will announce future funding for the Music and Dance Scheme for the 2025/26 academic year following the conclusion of the Spending Review in the spring. This includes consideration of the grant to the Choir Schools Association for the Choir Schools Scholarship Scheme. The department has provided a grant of over £216,000 per year for the Choir Schools Scholarship Scheme between 2010 and 2025.

Whether she plans to continue the grant to the Choir Schools Association in the next academic year.

The department will announce future funding for the Music and Dance Scheme for the 2025/26 academic year following the conclusion of the Spending Review in the spring. This includes consideration of the grant to the Choir Schools Association for the Choir Schools Scholarship Scheme. The department has provided a grant of over £216,000 per year for the Choir Schools Scholarship Scheme between 2010 and 2025.

What data her Department holds on local authority spending on successful asylum claimants in (a) 2023 and (b) 2024.

The information requested is not held by the Home Office.

How many foreign national offenders of each nationality were living in the community in the most recent year for which data is available.

Any foreign national offender (FNO) convicted of a crime who receives a custodial sentence in the UK is considered for deportation consideration following sentencing. The latest published information shows that at the end of Q3 2024 there were 18,069 FNOs living in the community having completed their custodial sentences and subject to deportation, a number that increased substantially during the previous government, and is more than three times the level recorded in the same quarter in 2017 (5,933). The breakdown of the nationality of these FNOs in the community is not available from published data. The published information can be found at: Immigration Enforcement data: Q3 2024 - GOV.UK. We will continue to pursue deportation action against individuals living in the community rigorously, actively monitoring and managing cases through the legal process and working hard to overcome any barriers to removal.

How many foreign national offenders are living in the community.

Any foreign national offender (FNO) convicted of a crime who receives a custodial sentence in the UK is considered for deportation consideration following sentencing. The latest published information shows that at the end of Q3 2024 there were 18,069 FNOs living in the community having completed their custodial sentences and subject to deportation, a number that increased substantially during the previous government, and is more than three times the level recorded in the same quarter in 2017 (5,933). The breakdown of the nationality of these FNOs in the community is not available from published data. The published information can be found at: Immigration Enforcement data: Q3 2024 - GOV.UK. We will continue to pursue deportation action against individuals living in the community rigorously, actively monitoring and managing cases through the legal process and working hard to overcome any barriers to removal.

Whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of successful asylum claimants who have moved into social housing since 2018 by local authority.

The information requested is not held by the Home Office.

How many (a) workers and (b) temporary workers each of the sponsors on the register of licensed sponsors sponsored in each year for which data is available.

The Home Office does not routinely publish data on sponsorship numbers broken down by each individual sponsor.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 December 2024 to Question 20254 on Asylum: Housing, what the cost was of each of the Contract Change Notices.

The information sought on costs and changes related to the Contract Change Notices referenced in Question 20254 has been identified as being of operational and commercial sensitivity and cannot therefore be disclosed.