Written questions by Lowe.

Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the cost to her Department of the proposed increase in employer National Insurance contributions for financial year 2025-26.

The Government will provide support for departments and other Exchequer-funded public sector employers for additional Employer National Insurance Contributions costs only. This funding will be allocated to departments in the usual way, in line with the approach taken under the previous Government’s Health and Social Care Levy.

What estimate she has made of the cost to her Department of the proposed increase in employer National Insurance contributions for financial year 2025-26.

The Government will provide support for departments and other public sector employers for additional Employer National Insurance Contributions costs only. This funding will be allocated to departments in the usual way, in line with the approach taken under the previous Government’s Health and Social Care Levy.

Innovation and Technology, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of the proposed increase in employer National Insurance contributions for financial year 2025-26.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is working with HM Treasury (HMT) on any additional funding that may be required to cover for costs associated with the Employer’s National Insurance Contributions (ERNIC) rule changes, announced at Autumn Budget 2024. This work is being undertaken under the auspices of the established Estimates process led by HMT, and which will conclude in the coming months.

What estimate she has made of the cost to her Department of the proposed increase in employer National Insurance contributions for financial year 2025-26.

The government will provide support for departments and other public sector employers for additional employer National Insurance contributions costs only. This funding will be allocated to departments in the usual way, in line with the approach taken under the previous government’s Health and Social Care Levy.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of the proposed increase in employer National Insurance contributions for financial year 2025-26.

The Government will provide support for departments and other public sector employers for additional Employer National Insurance Contributions costs only. This funding will be allocated to departments in the usual way, in line with the approach taken under the previous Government’s Health and Social Care Levy.

How many posts there are in the NHS Muslim Network; what the job titles are of those posts; and what their cost to the public purse was in the last financial year.

The NHS Muslim Network is a voluntary staff network, so there are no paid roles. National Health Service staff networks can be an important mechanism of staff support, and help to shape organisational culture within the NHS, to create a fair and inclusive work environment.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of a study of the impact of the dependency of universities on international students on the level of fees paid by such students.

The government remains committed to a United Kingdom that is outward looking and welcomes international students who make a positive contribution to the UK’s higher education (HE) sector, our economy and society as a whole.The Office for Students (OfS) is the independent regulator of English HE providers. As such, it is responsible for monitoring the financial sustainability of the sector. The department works closely with the OfS to understand the impact of the sector’s changing financial landscape. In its most recent report on the financial health of the HE 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 report models the impacts of various scenarios on provider finances, including in relation to levels of international student recruitment.The OfS emphasised that the HE sector should be cautious of 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 uncertainties and financial risks. As autonomous bodies independent of government, it is for providers to decide on effective business models and to how to manage their finances. The department will continue to work closely with the OfS in order to understand the ongoing impacts and changing landscape of financial sustainability in the sector.

What estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of the proposed increase in employer National Insurance contributions for financial year 2025-26.

We have taken 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 and other public sector employers for additional Employer National Insurance Contributions costs only. This funding will be allocated to departments in the usual way, in line with the approach taken under the previous Government’s Health and Social Care Levy.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2025 to Question 25832 on Pakistan: Development Aid and Visas, if he will make it his policy to raise potential punitive measures with his counterparts in Pakistan during future visits.

We continuously examine all levers at our disposal to deliver for UK interests, including in the removal of Foreign National Offenders to countries including Pakistan. This government is fully committed to making our communities safer by deporting those who break our laws. I raised this matter with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi during my visit to Pakistan in November. Pakistan is an indispensable partner in keeping the UK safe from irregular migration, terror threats and organised crime, and some of the technical assistance we provide through UK ODA is integral to these efforts.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of excluding (a) family members and (b) dependents from student visas.

The Student route already restricts most students from bringing their dependants to the UK. Partners and children are the only family members which can be sponsored by students as dependants and only if the relevant student meets certain relevant criteria, such studying for a PHD or other doctoral qualification, or a research-based higher degree.

What percentage of holders of Skilled Worker visas are net contributors to the Exchequer.

The Migration Advisory Committee advises government on migration issues. In their 2024 annual report, they estimated the average skilled worker migrant has a positive net fiscal impact of £16,300.Their analysis does not provide a distributional breakdown within Skilled Worker visa holders.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of low skilled immigration worker visa grants on job opportunities for low skilled domestic workers.

This would be a matter for UK Visas & Immigration and the Home Office.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish a breakdown of the (a) cost to the public purse and (b) recipients by nationality of the Chevening Scholarship in each of the last five years.

Chevening Scholarships provide fully-funded postgraduate masters awards at UK universities for future global leaders from approximately 140 eligible countries and territories. Chevening Programme ExpenditureFinancial yearTotal programme expenditure 2019 - 2020£57,744,779.512020 - 2021£50,397,000.002021 - 2022£59,233,000.002022 - 2023£58,994,000.002023 - 2024£59,330,000.00Annual costs for Chevening Scholarships can be found in the FCDO Annual Reports and Accounts on GOV.UK. The cost for each Chevening scholar varies between individuals, depending on factors including the cost of tuition fees, accommodation and flights. Breakdown of recipients by nationality of the Chevening Scholarship for the last 5 years:Country/TerritoryAwards made in 2019 (incl. full/part partner funded awards)Awards made in 2020 (incl. full/part partner funded awards)Awards made in 2021 (incl. full/part partner funded awards)Awards made in 2022 (incl. full/part partner funded awards)Awards made in 2023 (incl. full/part partner funded awards)Awards made in 2024 (incl. full/part partner funded awards)Afghanistan152329182113Albania16614111110Algeria899877Angola947887Anguilla223565Antigua and Barbuda233012Argentina251924211530Armenia939744Australia330234Azerbaijan9811965Bahamas211145Bangladesh131420152122Barbados322121Belize534555Benin111100Bermuda010000Bhutan345556Bolivia759846Bosnia and Herzegovina1359845Botswana957446Brazil574653474636Brunei Darussalam110113Burkina Faso 2Burundi555445Cambodia1791311129Cameroon151210588Canada214123Cape Verde040101Cayman Islands100000Chad021101Chile725444China603741333017Colombia251416141414Congo, Republic of001100Congo, The Democratic Republic Of The789248Costa Rica539456Côte d’Ivoire676848Cuba121111688Djibouti322401Dominica011213Dominican Republic11101411108Ecuador945646Egypt453339323129El Salvador623223Equatorial Guinea001100Eritrea110002Ethiopia162421131817Falkland Islands001000Fiji245667Gabon000000Georgia13915151310Ghana222119161714Greece211000Grenada011243Guatemala435341Guinea166144Guyana1065544Haiti421214Honduras333322Hong Kong222122Iceland211010India473841463836Indonesia605058454239Iraq222126221918Israel212110Jamaica181417161413Japan110123Jordan15121611710Kazakhstan8886912Kenya333938373630Kingdom of Eswatini964334Kiribati100001Kosovo51110956Kyrgyzstan645246Lao People's Democratic Republic879888Lebanon961191010Lesotho535366Liberia633146Libya181517181211Madagascar1183956Malawi1389867Malaysia383740383431Maldives456678Mali020124Mauritania134445Mauritius987665Mexico533940393733Moldova, Republic Of765765Mongolia7128111316Montenegro968745Montserrat412113Morocco11111391010Mozambique88111199Myanmar1291681010Namibia91415111311Nauru000101Nepal111217101213New Zealand311123Nicaragua435421Niger020024Nigeria564646444430North Macedonia777766Oman111000Pakistan493451474643Palestinian Territory, Occupied262023141310Panama7411555Papua New Guinea323583Paraguay151313141616Peru1871512910Philippines281634232221Republic of Korea242113121812Rwanda19109855Saint Helena010001Saint Kitts and Nevis001100Saint Lucia315443Saint Vincent and The Grenadines212433Samoa221334Sao Tome And Principe000020Senegal856546Serbia1510106710Seychelles323223Sierra Leone654656Singapore424353Solomon Islands403637Somalia111011111416South Africa443346354228South Caucasus324302South Sudan655656Sri Lanka67138910Sudan161718171716Suriname210002Syrian Arab Republic222124222019Taiwan (Republic of China)463455Tajikistan433435Tanzania18151516179Thailand241522172221The Gambia1098556Timor-Leste420222Tonga201234Trinidad and Tobago312222Tunisia141111867Turkey242123182223Turkmenistan410621Turks and Caicos Islands103124Tuvalu101010Uganda161624182417Ukraine212019422623Uruguay9798109Uzbekistan9885615Vanuatu000312Venezuela1079776Vietnam241925192322Virgin Islands (British)010220Yemen9614859Zambia231414121312Zimbabwe301012768We are withholding some country specific information under Section 38 (Health and Safety) exemption (1) (a) and (b) of the Freedom of Information Act, which provides that information is exempt if disclosure would or would be likely to endanger the physical or mental health of any individual or endanger the safety of any individual.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the (a) cost to the public purse and (b) nationality of each recipient of a Commonwealth Scholarship was in the last five years.

The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK (CSC), provides post-graduate awards (Fellowships, Masters and PhDs) at UK universities to students from approximately 64 eligible Commonwealth countries and British Overseas Territories.Commonwealth Programme Expenditure:Financial yearCSC Grant-in-Aid (from HMG, including DfE)(£m)2020-2125.3132021-2228.2242022-2328.2242023-2428.2242024-2528.224Breakdown of recipients by nationality of the Commonwealth Scholarship for the last 5 years:Country/Territory20202021202220232024Antigua and Barbuda 21 Australia2 1 Bangladesh4440472927Belize 1122Botswana 121Cameroon1718221720Canada2 2 Dominica1 Fiji 1132Ghana5670505554Grenada 2 Guyana53 1India7291817689Jamaica42 54Kenya7955746178Kingdom of Eswatini26114Kiribati 1 Lesotho21332Malawi1731202531Malaysia 22 2Maldives 1112Mauritius 2122Montserrat 1 Mozambique53526Namibia28 22New Zealand1 1Nigeria16117414912689Pakistan4654446165Papua New Guinea2 11 Rwanda16951411Saint Lucia12 11Saint Vincent and The Grenadines 1 21Samoa 1Sierra Leone146131315Singapore 1Solomon Islands 3 South Africa6121089Sri Lanka2157137Tanzania2314203323The Gambia751085Togo 1Tonga 1 Tuvalu1 Uganda6453726359Vanuatu 2Zambia2627232215

What the potential cost to the public purse was of her Department's Islamic network in each of the last five years.

The costs of individual faith and belief networks over the last five financial years are not held centrally in an accessible form, and could only be identified and verified for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost. However, the Department has previously provided cost figures for all Staff Networks. The answer to this can be found here: PQ 26338In addition, the Cabinet Office last year has audited the cost-effectiveness of all equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) activities and in response to that audit, new guidance was published on Civil Service EDI Expenditure, including an end to all external spending on EDI activity, unless cleared and authorised by Ministers.

If the Government will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a Department for Borders and Deportation.

The Home Office is the department for border security, including overseeing the establishment of Border Security Command and delivering more than 16,400 deportations of people who have no right to be here since July 2024.

If she will publish a breakdown of companies sponsoring skilled visas by Nature of Business (SIC).

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.The Home Office publishes a range of Research and statistics - GOV.UK relating to migration. Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics - GOV.UK, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.

If she will make an estimate of the number of skilled visa holders who are sponsored by (a) takeaways, (b) restaurants and (c) convenience stores.

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.The Home Office publishes a range of Research and statistics - GOV.UK relating to migration. Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics - GOV.UK, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.

If she will reintroduce the Resident Labour Market Test.

As announced by the Prime Minister on 28 November 2024, the Government will be producing a White Paper this year setting out our plans for reducing net migration, which will be published in due course.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of low skilled migrants' entitlement to benefits on the public purse.

The Department has no current plans to make such an assessment.