Written questions by Barker.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential benefits to working families of extending the statutory entitlement to paternity leave.

Through the Employment Rights Act, we are making Paternity Leave a ‘day one’ right from 6 April this year. This will bring an extra 32,000 fathers and partners into scope of the entitlement.However, we recognise that more can be done. That is why we launched the Parental Leave and Pay Review on 1 July 2025, which will consider all existing and upcoming parental leave entitlements, including Paternity Leave and Pay. When considering calls to increase entitlements for parents, the Government will balance the needs of parents, the impact on employers, and affordability for taxpayers.

What her Department’s estimate is of the (a) total level of student loan debt of Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and 2023 and (b) total level of student loan debt of Plan 2 students at the point that the freeze in repayment thresholds is planned to end in 2029-2030 for which the latest data is available.

The current mean average level of student loan balance of Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and 2023 to the nearest £100, as of 9 February, is £52,100 for England domiciled borrowers.We do not hold a forecast for this average balance in 2029/30 on a consistent basis to the above figure provided by the Student Loans Company (SLC), as we forecast loan balances at the course level rather than borrower level, so cannot calculate the average balance by borrower.The total level of student loan balances of Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and 2023 is £213 billion (to the nearest billion, as of 31 March 2025), for England and EU domiciled borrowers, as published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-loans-in-england-2024-to-2025/student-loans-in-england-financial-year-2024-25.Our modelled forecast of estimated total loan balance at the end of 2029/30 is £249 billion (rounded to the nearest billion, estimate for 1 April 2030), as published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/student-loan-forecasts-for-england/2024-25#explore-data-and-files.The 2029/30 total loan balance figure is forecasted and not certain. More details on the methodology are here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/student-loan-forecasts-for-england.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of trends in the number of people over 65 owed a statutory homelessness prevention and relief duty by local authorities in England since July 2024.

Homelessness is far too high, including amongst people over the age of 65. The government publishes homelessness data, including the age of the main applicant owed a prevention and relief duty on gov.uk here. Our National Plan to End Homelessness sets out that councils should design accessible, inclusive and culturally-sensitive services, supported by targeted interventions, which meet the needs and experiences of all people who need their help, including older people.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help ensure local authorities design local homelessness support services that meet the needs of older people when they experience homelessness.

Homelessness is far too high, including amongst people over the age of 65. The government publishes homelessness data, including the age of the main applicant owed a prevention and relief duty on gov.uk here. Our National Plan to End Homelessness sets out that councils should design accessible, inclusive and culturally-sensitive services, supported by targeted interventions, which meet the needs and experiences of all people who need their help, including older people.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the merits of issuing a National Defence Medal to military personnel to recognise their service to their country.

This Government continues to hold those who serve, and who have served, in our Armed Forces, in the highest esteem. The question of whether a National Defence Medal should be introduced has previously been considered at length. The Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals (HD Committee) made its recommendation not to proceed with such a medal following the Independent Military Medals Review in 2012, which is publicly available at Military medals review: report by Sir John Holmes - GOV.UK. Any further review of this issue would be for the independent Advisory Military Sub-Committee to consider, and to make appropriate recommendations to its parent HD Committee, not the Ministry of Defence.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of freezing the Plan 2 repayment threshold on (a) nursing students with Plan 2 loans and (b) nursing students with Plan 2 loans who started their courses between August 2017 and September 2020.

Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements.Lower earning graduates remain protected by this change. Graduates only begin repaying once their earnings exceed the threshold, paying 9% of income above that level. As repayments remain income-contingent, if a borrower’s salary remains the same, their monthly repayments will also stay the same. Outstanding loans, including interest accrued, are cancelled at the end of the loan term, or in case of death or permanent disability, with no detriment to the borrower.The department has produced the attached analysis regarding the lifetime impact of freezing the repayment and interest thresholds.The department will release an equalities impact assessment, including the impact on lifetime repayments, alongside other borrower impacts for the Plan 2 repayment threshold and interest threshold freeze, as announced at the Autumn Budget. Published results may differ from those provided due to model and data updates.

What assessment her department has made of the potential impact of maintaining thresholds for repayment of student loans between 2027-28 and 2029-30 for Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and 2023 on fair access to higher education for disabled students.

Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements.Lower earning graduates remain protected by this change. Graduates only begin repaying once their earnings exceed the threshold, paying 9% of income above that level. As repayments remain income-contingent, if a borrower’s salary remains the same, their monthly repayments will also stay the same. Outstanding loans, including interest accrued, are cancelled at the end of the loan term, or in case of death or permanent disability, with no detriment to the borrower.The department has produced the attached analysis regarding the lifetime impact of freezing the repayment and interest thresholds.The department will release an equalities impact assessment, including the impact on lifetime repayments, alongside other borrower impacts for the Plan 2 repayment threshold and interest threshold freeze, as announced at the Autumn Budget. Published results may differ from those provided due to model and data updates.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of maintaining thresholds for repayment of student loans between 2027-28 and 2029-30 for Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and 2023 on fair access to higher education for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements.Lower earning graduates remain protected by this change. Graduates only begin repaying once their earnings exceed the threshold, paying 9% of income above that level. As repayments remain income-contingent if a borrower’s salary remains the same, their monthly repayments will also stay the same.The department has produced the attached analysis regarding the lifetime impact of freezing the repayment and interest thresholds.The department will release an equalities impact assessment, including the impact on lifetime repayments, alongside other borrower impacts for the Plan 2 repayment threshold and interest threshold freeze announced at the Autumn Budget. Published results may differ from those provided due to model and data updates.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of maintaining thresholds for repayment of student loans between 2027-28 and 2029-30 for Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and 2023 on fair access to higher education for women students.

Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements.Lower earning graduates remain protected by this change. Graduates only begin repaying once their earnings exceed the threshold, paying 9% of income above that level. As repayments remain income-contingent if a borrower’s salary remains the same, their monthly repayments will also stay the same.The department has produced the attached analysis regarding the lifetime impact of freezing the repayment and interest thresholds.The department will release an equalities impact assessment, including the impact on lifetime repayments, alongside other borrower impacts for the Plan 2 repayment threshold and interest threshold freeze announced at the Autumn Budget. Published results may differ from those provided due to model and data updates.

What is her Department’s estimate of the (a) average level of student loan debt of Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and 2023 and (b) average level of student loan debt of Plan 2 students at the point that the freeze in repayment thresholds is planned to end in 2029-2030 for which the latest data is available.

The current mean average level of student loan balance of Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and 2023 to the nearest £100, as of 9 February, is £52,100 for England domiciled borrowers.We do not hold a forecast for this average balance in 2029/30 on a consistent basis to the above figure provided by the Student Loans Company (SLC), as we forecast loan balances at the course level rather than borrower level, so cannot calculate the average balance by borrower.The total level of student loan balances of Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and 2023 is £213 billion (to the nearest billion, as of 31 March 2025), for England and EU domiciled borrowers, as published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-loans-in-england-2024-to-2025/student-loans-in-england-financial-year-2024-25.Our modelled forecast of estimated total loan balance at the end of 2029/30 is £249 billion (rounded to the nearest billion, estimate for 1 April 2030), as published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/student-loan-forecasts-for-england/2024-25#explore-data-and-files.The 2029/30 total loan balance figure is forecasted and not certain. More details on the methodology are here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/student-loan-forecasts-for-england.

Communities and Local Government, if his Department will take steps to review the national definition of rough sleeping to help ensure it reflects the different ways women experience homelessness.

The government recognises that women experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping have different experiences and needs to men.In November 2025 the government published the Rough Sleeping Questionnaire deep dive on women’s homelessness. This can be found on gov.uk here. This report was published alongside new data on gender collected as part of the Rough Sleeping Monthly Management Information to capture the gender of those sleeping rough over the course of a month, rather than on a single night. This data can be found on gov.uk here.Our National Plan to End Homelessness makes clear that councils should adopt a person-centred approach to prevent rough sleeping and consider the specific needs and barriers that some groups, including women, may face in accessing services. To help councils identify those most at risk of long-term rough sleeping, and who need an accommodation-based intervention, we are currently piloting an Ending Rough Sleeping Risk Assessment Tool which takes account of the experiences of women. Our Outreach toolkit will include advice on identifying and engaging women sleeping rough.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has had discussions with local authorities on levels of female homelessness.

The government recognises that women experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping have different experiences and needs to men.In November 2025 the government published the Rough Sleeping Questionnaire deep dive on women’s homelessness. This can be found on gov.uk here. This report was published alongside new data on gender collected as part of the Rough Sleeping Monthly Management Information to capture the gender of those sleeping rough over the course of a month, rather than on a single night. This data can be found on gov.uk here.Our National Plan to End Homelessness makes clear that councils should adopt a person-centred approach to prevent rough sleeping and consider the specific needs and barriers that some groups, including women, may face in accessing services. To help councils identify those most at risk of long-term rough sleeping, and who need an accommodation-based intervention, we are currently piloting an Ending Rough Sleeping Risk Assessment Tool which takes account of the experiences of women. Our Outreach toolkit will include advice on identifying and engaging women sleeping rough.

Communities and Local Government, what work his Department is doing to help improve data collection on the number of women rough sleeping and to adopt a gender-informed methodology for measuring rough sleeping.

The government recognises that women experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping have different experiences and needs to men.In November 2025 the government published the Rough Sleeping Questionnaire deep dive on women’s homelessness. This can be found on gov.uk here. This report was published alongside new data on gender collected as part of the Rough Sleeping Monthly Management Information to capture the gender of those sleeping rough over the course of a month, rather than on a single night. This data can be found on gov.uk here.Our National Plan to End Homelessness makes clear that councils should adopt a person-centred approach to prevent rough sleeping and consider the specific needs and barriers that some groups, including women, may face in accessing services. To help councils identify those most at risk of long-term rough sleeping, and who need an accommodation-based intervention, we are currently piloting an Ending Rough Sleeping Risk Assessment Tool which takes account of the experiences of women. Our Outreach toolkit will include advice on identifying and engaging women sleeping rough.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of making UK AISI / Thorn's guidance, Recommended Practice for AI-G CSEA Prevention, published in December 2025, mandatory for all AI developers to prevent the creation of AI-generated child sexual abuse material.

The Government recognises the importance of tackling AI-generated CSAM. Creating, possessing, or distributing CSAM, including AI Generated CSAM, is illegal. The Online Safety Act requires services to proactively identify and remove this content. We are taking further action in the Crime and Policing Bill to criminalise CSAM image generators, and to ensure AI developers can directly test for and address vulnerabilities in their models which enable the production of CSAM.The AISI / Thorn joint publication guidance (Recommended Practice for AI-G CSEA Prevention) sets out practical steps that AI developers, model hosting services and others in the AI ecosystem can take to reduce the risk that their systems are misused to generate CSAM. This guidance is informed by input from industry and child protection organisations, and many of the world’s leading AI developers (including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Meta) have signed up to the principles of earlier forms of this guidance.The Government is clear: no option is off the table when it comes to protecting the online safety of users in the UK, and we will not hesitate to act where evidence suggests that further action is necessary.

What steps he is taking to ensure that any proposals to amend the Access to Work scheme are subject to consultation with disabled people and piloted before implementation.

This Government values the input of disabled people and people with health conditions, their representative organisations and people that support them. That is why we brought forward the Green Paper and opened a public consultation. We are now carefully reviewing responses to the Green Paper. We have recently concluded the Access to Work Collaboration Committees, in which we engaged with a range of stakeholders, including disabled people’s organisation representatives and lived experience users, to provide discussion, experience, and challenge to the design of the future Access to Work Scheme. We are continuing to work closely with stakeholders, and in particular disabled people and their representatives.

What estimate his Department has made of the number of people who have left or are at risk of leaving employment due to reductions in Access to Work awards upon renewal.

The Department for Work and Pensions does not collect data on the number of people who may have left or are at risk of leaving employment due to reductions in Access to Work awards upon renewal. Access to Work is only available to individuals who are starting or in employment, so this type of data is not recorded.Customers who disagree with a renewal outcome may request a reconsideration of their award.The Access to Work scheme supports disabled people start and stay in employment by providing tailored support based on individual needs.In the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we consulted on the future of the Access to Work scheme. We are considering responses to the consultation and will set out our plans in due course.

What assessment his Department has made of (a) the effectiveness of the monitoring of early foetal development in patients by trusts and (b) trends in the level of variations in that monitoring by those trusts.

Monitoring and reviewing Foetal Growth Restriction is a key safety component of the Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle (Care Bundle) which includes the Foetal Growth standard. NHS Resolution monitors this through the Maternity Incentive Scheme as part of the financial incentive for National Health Service trusts to improve safety in maternity and neonatal services. We are expecting the final evaluation of Maternity Incentive Scheme this year.In December 2025, NHS England wrote to NHS trusts advising them to stop using intergrowth growth charts to estimate foetal weight and move to other alternatives by 31 March 2026. This is supported in guidance from the Royal College of Gynaecologists and implementation of this change will be monitored locally.

What national guidance is in place for cases of aspirin-allergic women at high risk of placental complications.

NHS England’s guidance states that there are a few absolute contraindications, that being, conditions that mean a certain treatment should not be used, to aspirin therapy. Pregnant women with a history of aspirin allergy, for example urticaria, or hypersensitivity to other salicylates are at risk of anaphylaxis and should not receive aspirin. Clinicians should undertake a personalised risk assessment and agree appropriate care and surveillance of maternal and foetal health in line with national guidance, local protocols, and the woman’s circumstances. NHS England’s guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/saving-babies-lives-version-3-2/#appendix-b-medication-to-reduce-the-risk-of-pregnancy-complications:~:text=There%20are%20a%20few,case%2Dby%2Dcase%20basis

Media and Sport, what discussions her Department had with music industry bodies on the cost of music concerts.

Ministers have spoken regularly with the industry, with artists and promoters about the cost of pop and classical music concerts, the importance of small music venues and the costs of tickets on the primary and secondary market. That is why we have committed to introducing new protections for consumers on ticket resales, and launched a consultation on 10th January to seek views on potential options for resale platforms as well as primary sellers. The consultation was published alongside a call for evidence on pricing practices in the live events sector, including the use of dynamic pricing by the primary market. The consultation and call for evidence closed on 4th April and the responses have been considered. As part of the consultation and call for evidence process we engaged with a number of music and wider live event ticketing bodies, including Ticketmaster. The Government will respond shortly to set out next steps.

With reference to the Third Report of the Transport Select Committee of Session 2024-2 on Buses connecting communities, HC 494, published on 13 August 2025, if her Department will consider the potential merits of introducing free bus travel for under-22s.

The Government knows how important affordable and reliable bus services are in enabling people to get to education, work and access vital services. On 1 January, we introduced a £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London to help passengers continue to access cheaper bus services and better opportunities. At the Spending Review we announced the cap would be extended until March 2027.At present, the majority of bus services operate on a commercial basis by private operators, and any decisions regarding the level at which fares are set outside the scope of the £3 bus fare cap are commercial decisions for operators. Bus operators can choose to offer discounted fares for young people, and in the year ending March 2025, youth discounts were offered by at least one commercial bus operator in 73 out of 85 local authority areas in England outside London.As part of the Autumn 2024 Budget, the Government allocated £955 million to support and improve bus services in 25/26. This includes £712 million for local authorities, this can be used to expand services and improve reliability, which are currently massive obstacles for too many people. Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has been allocated £20.9 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to deliver better bus services can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, which could include introducing new fares initiatives to reduce the cost of bus travel for young people.