Written questions by Tice.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of excluding people on Personal Independence Payment from eligibility for the winter fuel payment on their ability to meet energy costs.

Given the substantial pressures faced by the public finances this year and next, the Government has had to make hard choices to bring the public finances back under control. Winter Fuel Payments will continue to be paid to pensioner households with someone receiving Pension Credit or certain other income-related benefits. They will continue to be worth £200 for eligible households, or £300 for eligible households with someone aged over 80. The Government also offers an array of support with energy costs for low-income groups in the winter months. This includes direct financial help to low-income pensioners through Pension Credit, Cold Weather Payments and the Warm Home Discount (in England & Wales). The Warm Home Discount scheme provides eligible low-income households across Great Britain with a £150 rebate on their winter energy bill. This winter, we expect over 3 million households, to benefit under the scheme. People struggling with the cost of living should contact their local council to see what support may be available to them, as they may be able to receive support from the Household Support Fund, Council Tax Reduction, or through energy support programmes such as the Homes Upgrade Grant and Energy Company Obligation. The Home Upgrade Grant phase 2 provides energy efficiency upgrades and low-carbon heating measures to low-income households living in the worst performing, off gas grid homes in England to tackle fuel poverty. For those with long-term health conditions or disabilities, the “extra costs” disability benefits, including Personal Independence Payment, provide a tax free, non-income-related contribution towards the extra costs people with a long-term health condition can face, such as additional heating costs. They are paid in addition to any other benefits received. These benefits also give rise to a disability addition in Pension Credit and other income-related benefits.

What estimate she has made of the annual cost to the public purse of providing public services including (a) healthcare, (b) education and (c) housing of migrants that have arrived via small boat crossings in each of the last five years.

The Home Office publishes all available information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK.

What steps her Department is taking to help tackle crimes committed by individuals who have entered the country illegally.

The police deal with all criminals without fear or favour, irrespective of their nationality or immigration status.Foreign nationals who commit serious crimes in our country should also be in no doubt that where practical and lawful, we will pursue their deportation.

How much his Department has spent on measures to achieve net zero targets in the last five years.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is fully committed to contributing to the UK achieving its legal commitment to be Net Zero by 2050. Between Financial Year 1209-20 and Financial Year 2023-24, the MOD has reduced its overall emissions from 3,650,000 tCO2e to 3,012,000 tCO2e. Defence spending is investing in building our warfighting capability and to enhance operational advantage and resilience to protect our values and interests. Benefits of decarbonisation are a positive spillover and are not differentiated from this investment. For example, trials integrating alternative fuel sources and renewable energy technology can further unlock an ability to operate for longer periods without resupply and at greater reach across a dispersed battlefield. A more detailed breakdown of Defence energy use and associated carbon emissions can be found in the MOD Annual Report and Accounts Annex D.

How many and what proportion of migrants who entered in the UK in the last 5 years are in receipt of state benefits.

The Department does not hold the information to produce the requested calculation. We are, however, exploring the feasibility of developing suitable statistics related to the immigration status of non-UK / Irish customers. The Department will ensure that this work is done in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure asylum seekers are no longer housed in hotels in Boston and Skegness constituency.

This government inherited an asylum system under exceptional strain, with tens of thousands of people stuck in limbo without any prospect of having their claims processed. At their peak use under the previous government, in the autumn of 2023, more than 400 asylum hotels were being leased by the Home Office, at a cost of almost £9 million a day.We took immediate action to resolve that chaos by restarting asylum processing, establishing the new Border Security Command to tackle the people-smuggling gangs, cracking down on illegal working across the country, and increasing the return and removal of people with no right to be here.Inevitably, due to the size of the backlog we inherited, the Home Office has been forced to continue with the use of hotels for the time being. But this is not a permanent solution, and the small increase in the number in use at the end of last year was just a temporary but necessary step to manage pressures in the system, which is now in the process of being reversed.It remains our absolute commitment to end the use of hotels over time, as part of our reduction in overall asylum accommodation costs. In the interim, we are also continuing to increase our operational activity against smuggling gangs and illegal working, and we have increased returns to their highest level since 2018, with 16,400 people removed in the first six months this government was in charge.Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.

How much his Department has spent on measures to achieve net zero targets in the last five years.

The department does not maintain records of expenditure on measures to achieve net zero.The department’s estate is managed and maintained by the Government Property Agency (GPA). The GPA is responsible for investment in energy efficiency measures that relate to the department’s office estate.Details of the department’s sustainability performance can be found in the department’s Annual Report and Accounts.

How much her Department has spent on measures to achieve net zero targets in the last five years.

High and rising school standards are at the heart of this government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life. Ensuring schools have the high quality and sustainable buildings they need is a key part of that.The department has a critical role to play in all aspects of sustainability, including the drive to achieve net zero and supporting the delivery of the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan and Net Zero Strategy.Since November 2021, the department has required that all new department-delivered schools will be designed to be net zero carbon in operation, alongside investment to increase green infrastructure and sustainable water management on school sites.Capital funding is allocated to the school sector each year for improving the condition of the estate and to keep schools safe and operational. Funding can also support projects that improve the energy efficiency, sustainability and resilience to climate change of school buildings. Decisions on which projects to prioritise are primarily taken at a local level.The department allocated an additional £447 million of capital funding in 2022/23 for schools and sixth form colleges for capital improvements to buildings and facilities, prioritising energy efficiency and supported by guidance for schools on effective approaches.To make sure that the department is tackling the most urgent need in the school estate, we have committed to rebuilding or significantly refurbishing buildings at 518 schools through the School Rebuilding Programme. New buildings delivered through the programme are designed to be net zero carbon in operation and more resilient to the effects of climate change.In 2022/23, further education (FE) colleges were allocated £53 million to improve facilities, prioritising energy efficiency. All condition improvement projects receiving departmental grant funding and delivered by FE colleges have been required to consider the 2021 FE Output Specification, which advises how to achieve net zero in operation. FE colleges have also been able to support condition improvement projects that support energy efficiency and sustainability and keep colleges safe and operational.Schools, as other public bodies, have also been able to access funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, which is run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much his Department has spent on measures to achieve net zero targets in the last five years.

While the Department for Net Zero and Energy Security leads across Government on net zero, Defra is responsible for reducing emissions from agriculture, land use (including peat), fluorinated gases and waste (including wastewater), whilst simultaneously increasing England's carbon saving potential through our forestry policies. In Spending Review 2021 Defra received numerous funding allocations, which as well as providing direct funding for Defra's contribution to net zero they contributed towards wider departmental objectives such as tackling biodiversity loss, ensuring nature recovery and food security and providing opportunities for economic growth. These programmes include the food waste new burden (£295 million), Nature for Climate fund (£750 million) and Future Farming and Countryside Programme which includes the Environmental Land Management Schemes (£2.9 billion). Additionally, across the Spending Review period, funding was allocated to net zero research and development programme (£75 million).

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of reliance on imported rare earth minerals for net zero technologies on national security.

Critical minerals, including rate earth elements are crucial for the UK in terms of security, clean energy, industry and emerging technologies. That is why the Government is developing a critical minerals strategy to ensure we are diversifying our supply chains, delivering the security we need and supporting the many UK-based companies that mine and process around the world. The strategy will be published this year.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) mining and (b) processing rare earth minerals required for renewable technologies including (i) wind turbines and (ii) solar panels on the environment.

The criticality of minerals, including Rare Earth Elements (REEs), are evaluated through the Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre (CMIC), led by the British Geological Survey. CMIC determines criticality on the basis of economic vulnerability and supply risk, through indicators including Environmental, Social and Governance standards. Building on this assessment, the Department for Business and Trade will work with industry to publish a new Critical Minerals Strategy this year. This will help secure our supply chains, including for Rare Earth Elements, for the long term and support the green industries of the future.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of net zero policies on (a) UK manufacturing competitiveness and (b) jobs in carbon-intensive industries.

The transition to net zero is critical for driving growth and delivering new jobs. We have been clear that decarbonisation should not mean deindustrialisation. Many companies that have decarbonised become more efficient and productive. The challenge can be the capital costs of transitioning and that is why the government is providing extensive support and access to funding for industry, including through the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund, Aerospace Technology Institute and Advanced Propulsion Centre UK. At the same time, the number of jobs in the low carbon and renewable energy economy grew by 27% between 2020 and 2022, more than 5 times faster than overall UK employment (source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/clean-power-2030-action-plan-assessment-of-the-clean-energy-skills-challenge/assessment-of-the-clean-energy-skills-challenge#fn:6)

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to ensure that candidates standing in combined authority elections are not also responsible for (a) setting up and (b) overseeing those authorities.

Under the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, all local authorities who are to be constituent members of a combined authority must consent to the combined authority’s establishment. This does not disqualify any constituent local authority members from running for the office of mayor in the combined authority.Please be assured that, in the case where the winning candidate in the election to role of mayor is also already a sitting councillor of a constituent authority, under Schedule 5B paragraph 7 of the 2009 Act, their council seat is automatically rendered vacant and regular by-election requirements for the council seat occur as normal.

If she will make it her policy to deport people with dual citizenship who are charged with child grooming offences.

I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer given on 15 January to Question 22427.

How many first-cousin marriages were recorded in each of the last three years, broken down by the nationalities of the parties involved.

This information is not collected or held.

How many birth defects were reported among children born to couples who are first cousins in each of the last three years, broken down by the nationality of the parents.

The Government does not hold this data. We continue to work with the National Health Service as it delivers its three-year maternity and neonatal plan to grow our maternity workforce, develop a culture of safety, and ensure that women and babies receive safe, personalised, and compassionate care.

What estimate she has made of (a) the number of SEN pupils expected to transition to the state sector as a result of the introduction of VAT on independent school fees and (b) the cost to the state education system of those children moving from private to state schools.

His Majesty’s Treasury (HMT) is responsible for VAT policy. HMT has published its assessment of the impacts of removing the VAT exemption that applied to private school fees, which can be found on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees/ac8c20ce-4824-462d-b206-26a567724643#who-is-likely-to-be-affected.This overall assessment considers special educational needs and disability (SEND) but does not provide a separate assessment broken down by SEND.Overall, the government predicts that, in the long-term steady state, there will be 37,000 fewer pupils in the private sector in the UK as a result of the removal of the VAT exemption applied to school fees. This represents around 6% of the current private school population. This movement is expected to take place over several years, and most moves will occur at natural transition points. Of this number, the government estimates an increase of 35,000 pupils in the state sector in the long-term steady state, with the other 2,000 consisting of international pupils who do not move into the UK state system, and domestic pupils moving into homeschooling. This state sector increase represents less than 0.5% of total UK state school pupils, of which there are over nine million.The government expects the revenue costs of pupils entering the state sector in England to steadily increase to a peak of around £0.3 billion per annum after several years. However, the government expects to raise around £1.8 billion per annum by 2029/30 from this VAT policy and from removing private schools’ eligibility for business rates charitable rate relief.Longer term impacts on those who move schools may be lessened by revenue raised by this measure being used to help the 94% of children who attend state schools.It is important to note that pupils who need a local authority-funded place in a private school will not be impacted by the changes. The majority of pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) are educated in mainstream schools, whether state-maintained or private, where their needs are met. The overwhelming majority attend state schools. To protect pupils with SEN that can only be met in a private school, local authorities that fund these places are able to reclaim the VAT they are charged on those pupils’ fees.The department supports local authorities to provide suitable school places for children and young people with SEND through annual high needs capital funding. This can be used to deliver new places in mainstream and special schools, as well as other specialist settings. At the Autumn Budget 2024, the government announced a £2.3 billion increase to the core schools' budget in 2025/26, increasing per pupil funding in real terms. This included a £1 billion uplift to high needs funding in 2025/26, providing additional support for the more than one million children in the state sector with SEND.

What contingency measures his Department has should negotiations with Jingye on the future of steel blast furnaces collapse.

The Government is in negotiations with British Steel’s shareholder regarding the company’s commercial plans to transition to productive and efficient methods of steel production. As with any responsible Government, we continue to consider all possible outcomes, and we stand ready to support local workers and local communities as needed. The steel industry declined more than 50% in the last decade because there was no strategy to protect and grow this strategically important sector. We are developing a Steel Strategy which we will publish in Spring 2025, and we have committed up to £2.5bn of investment to rebuild the UK steel industry.

Food and Rural Affairs, what national framework contractors have been appointed for flood management; and how and on what criteria they were appointed.

The information requested can be found in the attached document.

How many people have been deported (a) in total and (b) by nationality in each month since July 2024.

The Home Office routinely publishes data on returns in the “Immigration Systems Statistics” quarterly release. Data on quarterly returns of individuals since July 2024 can be found in table Ret_D01 of the “returns detailed datasets”. The latest data is for September 2024, with data up to December 2024 to be published on 27 February.