Written questions by Allin-Khan.

Whether her Department has had any discussions with Rethink Repayment regarding their student loan reform campaign.

Plan 2 student loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Interest rates are applied at the Retail Price Index (RPI) only, then variable up to an upper limit of RPI +3% depending on earnings. This maintains the real value of repayments over a long loan term. As an additional borrower protection, interest rates on post-2012 loans are automatically capped by the prevailing market rate for comparable unsecured personal loans, ensuring borrowers are protected if market conditions change. Interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by student loan borrowers. Repayments are made at a constant rate of 9% above the earnings threshold, and the 9% rate strikes a balance between affordability for graduates and fairness to taxpayers. For example, someone earning £30,000 will repay around £4 per month in the 2026/27 financial years under the repayment threshold of £29,385. Those earning below the earnings threshold do not make repayments. Any outstanding loan including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants. This is a deliberate government investment in students and the economy, and the 9% over-threshold repayment rate keeps higher education funding sustainable and ensures the costs are shared fairly between students and taxpayers.Reducing the repayment rate to 5% would significantly increase the cost to taxpayers, many of whom have not attended university, which in turn would undermine the sustainability of higher education funding. My noble Friend, the Minister for Skills has written to the Rethink Repayment campaign organiser via their MP regarding this issue.

Pursuant to her Department's answer to 108730, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reducing the constant rate of student loan repayments from 9% to 5%.

Plan 2 student loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Interest rates are applied at the Retail Price Index (RPI) only, then variable up to an upper limit of RPI +3% depending on earnings. This maintains the real value of repayments over a long loan term. As an additional borrower protection, interest rates on post-2012 loans are automatically capped by the prevailing market rate for comparable unsecured personal loans, ensuring borrowers are protected if market conditions change. Interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by student loan borrowers. Repayments are made at a constant rate of 9% above the earnings threshold, and the 9% rate strikes a balance between affordability for graduates and fairness to taxpayers. For example, someone earning £30,000 will repay around £4 per month in the 2026/27 financial years under the repayment threshold of £29,385. Those earning below the earnings threshold do not make repayments. Any outstanding loan including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants. This is a deliberate government investment in students and the economy, and the 9% over-threshold repayment rate keeps higher education funding sustainable and ensures the costs are shared fairly between students and taxpayers.Reducing the repayment rate to 5% would significantly increase the cost to taxpayers, many of whom have not attended university, which in turn would undermine the sustainability of higher education funding. My noble Friend, the Minister for Skills has written to the Rethink Repayment campaign organiser via their MP regarding this issue.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of placing an upper limit on real terms interest that can be accrued on Plan 2 student loans.

Plan 2 student loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Interest rates are applied at the Retail Price Index (RPI) only, then variable up to an upper limit of RPI +3% depending on earnings. This maintains the real value of repayments over a long loan term. As an additional borrower protection, interest rates on post-2012 loans are automatically capped by the prevailing market rate for comparable unsecured personal loans, ensuring borrowers are protected if market conditions change. Interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by student loan borrowers. Repayments are made at a constant rate of 9% above the earnings threshold, and the 9% rate strikes a balance between affordability for graduates and fairness to taxpayers. For example, someone earning £30,000 will repay around £4 per month in the 2026/27 financial years under the repayment threshold of £29,385. Those earning below the earnings threshold do not make repayments. Any outstanding loan including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants. This is a deliberate government investment in students and the economy, and the 9% over-threshold repayment rate keeps higher education funding sustainable and ensures the costs are shared fairly between students and taxpayers.Reducing the repayment rate to 5% would significantly increase the cost to taxpayers, many of whom have not attended university, which in turn would undermine the sustainability of higher education funding. My noble Friend, the Minister for Skills has written to the Rethink Repayment campaign organiser via their MP regarding this issue.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the cut to funding the International Baccalaureate on students.

The department will provide transitional protection funding to institutions facing a significant reduction in funding. From calculating the initial 2026/27 large programme uplift (LPU) for each institution, the department will look at how these compare with the LPU in the 2025/26 academic year.Institutions providing the International Baccalaureate retain the freedom to continue doing so, regardless of the changes to the LPU.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of a three-year funding settlement for the Music and Dance Scheme.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Tooting to the answer of 23 October 2025 to Question 79113.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing real-terms funding for the (a) the Music and Dance Scheme and (b) eight schools supported by this scheme.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Tooting to the answer of 23 October 2025 to Question 79113.

What her Department's timetable is for publishing the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper.

The department published the Post-16 education and skills white paper on 20 October 2025.The white paper sets out comprehensive reforms to build a world-leading skills system that break down barriers to opportunity, meets student and employers’ needs, widens access to high quality education and training, supports innovation, research and development, and improves people’s lives.

Whether she has taken recent steps to support social workers, in the context of increases in Social Work England registration fees.

Social Work England (SWE) fees have remained static since it became the regulator in 2019. The increase was agreed after a consultation exercise undertaken by SWE. Social Work England released an equality impact assessment alongside their consultation response.Registration and renewal fees have not increased since 2015, and whilst we appreciate that many people, social workers included, may be experiencing financial difficulties, the decision to increase fees brings the fee in line with inflation and better balances the relationship between grant-in-aid and fee income. This will ensure a balanced and stable funding base to fulfil SWE’s regulatory responsibilities to protect and serve the public.Social workers may be able to claim tax relief on professional member fees. Details on how to do this are available here: https://www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/professional-fees-and-subscriptions.Additionally, social workers have the option to pay registration and renewal fees in full or in two instalments in October and the following April.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of increases in Social Work England registration fees on social workers.

Social Work England (SWE) fees have remained static since it became the regulator in 2019. The increase was agreed after a consultation exercise undertaken by SWE. Social Work England released an equality impact assessment alongside their consultation response.Registration and renewal fees have not increased since 2015, and whilst we appreciate that many people, social workers included, may be experiencing financial difficulties, the decision to increase fees brings the fee in line with inflation and better balances the relationship between grant-in-aid and fee income. This will ensure a balanced and stable funding base to fulfil SWE’s regulatory responsibilities to protect and serve the public.Social workers may be able to claim tax relief on professional member fees. Details on how to do this are available here: https://www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/professional-fees-and-subscriptions.Additionally, social workers have the option to pay registration and renewal fees in full or in two instalments in October and the following April.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the expiration of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund on foster (a) carers and (b) children.

On 1 April, the department announced that the adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) would continue into 2025/26, with a budget of £50 million. A further announcement about arrangements for applications will be made as soon as possible. We remain committed to supporting families, who play an essential role in providing stable and loving homes for children in need. This funding will enable eligible families to apply for support in the coming year. The ASGSF provides support for adopted children and those under special guardianship or child arrangement orders. The only group of foster carers and foster children who can access the ASGSF are those on the ‘foster to adopt’ pathway, where the plan is for the foster carer to adopt the child they are caring for if the court makes a placement order. Foster carers who obtain a special guardianship order can also ask that an application be made to the fund for a child they previously fostered.

What steps she is taking to reduce decision times for qualified teacher status applications.

Since 2021, the end-to-end process for becoming a teacher has been managed through the department’s digital services. This means that we have access to real-time recruitment data which allows us to identify the challenges that candidates are facing. From this data, we know that the longer it takes for an initial teacher training (ITT) provider to respond to a candidate, the more likely they are to drop-out.To alleviate this, the department has set out the need for timely responses to candidate applications in the ITT criteria and we encourage providers to respond to candidates within 30 working days. The department’s digital services have also made it quicker and easier for ITT providers to manage and process their applications.Additionally, the department has implemented changes to encourage providers to make more timely decisions. Now, if a candidate does not receive a response to their application within 30 days, they will be allowed to apply to a different ITT provider. We have also developed weekly performance reports, which allow providers to compare their recruitment performance to national averages.The department is aware that large volumes of applications can impact a provider’s ability to respond to applications quickly. That is why we implemented functionality last cycle, to prevent candidates from applying to courses that they are ineligible for.

What steps she is taking to widen access to postgraduate education.

The department will act to address the persistent gaps for different student groups and to break down the barriers to opportunity.The government introduced postgraduate loans which, alongside other sources of funding, are a contribution to the cost of postgraduate level study to stimulate take-up.Decisions on student finance have had to be taken to ensure the system remains financially sustainable and that the costs of higher education (HE) are shared fairly between students and taxpayers, not all of whom have benefited from going to university.The department will set out this government’s longer term plan for HE reform by summer 2025.From 1 October 2025, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is increasing the minimum stipend they pay to PhD students by 8% to £20,780. This is the largest real terms increase in the stipend for UKRI funded students since 2003.Skills England will reset the government’s approach to skills in England, making sure skills are prioritised in government decision making. Shadow Skills England is currently bringing together up-to-date analysis and engagement with key partners to identify and fill skills gaps at all levels of education, including at postgraduate level, particularly for under-represented groups, with the aim of breaking down the barriers to opportunity and driving growth.

What steps her Department is taking to improve the affordability of childcare for families ineligible for free childcare for working parents.

Ensuring that parents are able to access affordable and high quality childcare is a priority for this government. Our focus in reforming the system will be to ensure that there are greater and more equal opportunities to access early education for every family, and that there are greater opportunities for children to thrive and develop. As an initial step, we are progressing work to deliver new places in 3,000 nurseries through upgrading space in primary schools.Families that are not eligible for the childcare entitlements for working parents may be entitled to other forms of support, including the 15 hours entitlement for disadvantaged two year olds and the 15 hours universal entitlement for three and four year olds. The universal entitlement is available to all parents of three and four year olds, regardless of income or immigration status. In terms of the disadvantaged two year olds entitlement, parents do not need to work to claim this entitlement. However, they will need to be claiming certain benefits and have a household net income of less than £15,400 per year. All two year olds with an education, health and care (EHC) plan, those in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and looked after children are eligible regardless of household income. Some two year olds with ‘no recourse to public funds’ immigration status may also be eligible subject to different income thresholds.Working families claiming universal credit can also claim up to 84% of the childcare costs back through Universal Credit Childcare. This offer can be used alongside the entitlements set out above.We will be undertaking a comprehensive evaluation programme of the expansion of childcare entitlements for working parents which will explore how families not eligible for the new entitlements experience finding and accessing childcare, including the associated costs. Further, the impact evaluation will assess how the expansion has impacted upon the quality of childcare provision and children’s development, for all children, and wider family outcomes. As per Government Social Research guidelines, evaluation findings will be available within 12 weeks of the projects being finalised. We expect the first to be available from spring 2026.