It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 1 April in response to Question 122705.

Students on Erasmus+ placements are exempt from tuition and registration fees at their host institution.

This means that EU nationals who previously came to the UK through Erasmus+ would not have taken out UK student loans, as their placements were supported through Erasmus+ funding.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 1 April in response to Question 122705.

The government is capping the maximum interest rates on Plan 2 and 3 student loans at 6%, rather than RPI+3%, from 1 September, for the 2026/27 academic year, delivering stability and protection for graduates from escalating student loan interest.

This short-term measure removes the risk of a temporary increase in inflation due to the situation in the Middle East causing loan balances to compound at an unsustainable rate and is in line with actions taken in the past to secure stability in the student finance system.

Secondly, the government is reintroducing targeted, means-tested maintenance grants from academic year 2028/29, which will provide disadvantaged students with up to £1,000 extra support per year, without increasing their debt.

Student finance and higher education funding is a complex, interconnected, system. We are considering a range of options to make the system fairer, but to be fiscally responsible we must consider how any change would be funded.

The government does not collect data on the number of households which have missed council tax payments or data on the actions councils take to recover these debts. The government expects councils to proportionate in the actions they take to recover debts and sympathetic to those in hardship.

To deliver these reforms, the department is putting more money into the education system, with £7 billion more being spent on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support compared to 2025/26. The department’s budgets will increase above previously planned funding at Autumn Budget 2025 by £3.5 billion in 2028/29 to support investment in the SEND system. In every year of this parliament, core funding for schools and SEND is expected to increase, subject to future Spending Reviews. As we invest in the system, we will update the SEND Code of Practice and legal requirements for support to be provided in all mainstream education settings from early years to post-16, thereby strengthening the law to make sure children and young people receive the help and support they need.

As a private company, Heathrow Airport's financing decisions are a matter for the airport. Since this is a private sector project, it is up to the potential promoters to develop and finance expansion proposals, and to demonstrate that any scheme is financially viable.

As a private company, Heathrow Airport's financing decisions are a matter for the airport. Since this is a private sector project, it is up to the potential promoters to develop and finance expansion proposals, and to demonstrate that any scheme is financially viable.

All proposals for local government reorganisation were considered carefully, on a case‑by‑case basis, against the criteria set out in the statutory guidance, alongside responses to the consultation, representations made, and all other relevant information. This included evidence on the estimated costs and benefits of each proposal. The five unitary model met the criteria on being the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks.

The Government has committed to repay in-principle £200m of debt repayment support to Thurrock Council in 2026-27. This is a significant and unprecedented commitment given the historic capital practices at the Council and is a decision that has not been taken lightly, reflecting the value for money case for protecting taxpayers from the spiralling costs of ever-increasing debt. This is a first tranche of debt repayment support, and we will continue to explore what further debt support is required at a later point.

All proposals for local government reorganisation were considered carefully, on a case‑by‑case basis, against the criteria set out in the statutory guidance, alongside responses to the consultation, representations made, and all other relevant information. This included evidence on the estimated costs and benefits of each proposal. The five unitary model met the criteria on being the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks.

The Government has committed to repay in-principle £200m of debt repayment support to Thurrock Council in 2026-27. This is a significant and unprecedented commitment given the historic capital practices at the Council and is a decision that has not been taken lightly, reflecting the value for money case for protecting taxpayers from the spiralling costs of ever-increasing debt. This is a first tranche of debt repayment support, and we will continue to explore what further debt support is required at a later point.

All proposals for local government reorganisation were considered carefully, on a case‑by‑case basis, against the criteria set out in the statutory guidance, alongside responses to the consultation, representations made, and all other relevant information. This included evidence on the estimated costs and benefits of each proposal. The five unitary model met the criteria on being the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks.

The Government has committed to repay in-principle £200m of debt repayment support to Thurrock Council in 2026-27. This is a significant and unprecedented commitment given the historic capital practices at the Council and is a decision that has not been taken lightly, reflecting the value for money case for protecting taxpayers from the spiralling costs of ever-increasing debt. This is a first tranche of debt repayment support, and we will continue to explore what further debt support is required at a later point.

Putting Surrey’s local authorities on a more sustainable footing is vital to safeguarding the services residents rely on, as well as investing in their futures. As set out in the invitation letter, and consistent with previous restructures, there is no proposal for council debt to be addressed centrally or written off as part of reorganisation.

The Government has committed to repay in‑principle £500 million of Woking Borough Council’s debt in 2026–27 as a first tranche of support. This is a significant and unprecedented commitment given historic capital practices at the Council. It reflects our acknowledgement that, even after the rationalisation of Woking’s historic assets, there remains significant unsupported debt that cannot be managed locally.

When issuing the statutory invitation for Reorganisation proposals, the Government was clear in criterion (2f) that: “For areas where there are exceptional circumstances where there has been failure linked to capital practices, proposals should reflect the extent to which the implications of this can be managed locally, including as part of efficiencies possible through reorganisation.”

The Government is committed to achieving the best value for money for the taxpayer in the rationalisation of Woking’s historic assets, which will contribute locally to the reduction of debt in Woking, and this process may continue past vesting day into the new unitary authority. It is crucial that any debt support must consider broader value for money considerations for both local and national taxpayers.

Local authorities provide the Government with data on their borrowing, including source of borrowing. The data can be found at Live tables on local government finance - GOV.UK.

The Government recognises that Woking Council cannot manage the entirety of its debt locally and has made an unprecedented commitment to repay in-principle £500m of the Council’s debt in 2026-27. This is a first tranche of support, and we will continue to explore what further debt support is required at a later point. Further, we remain committed to providing interim financial support to the new unitary council until a final decision is made on further support. It is crucial that any debt support must take into account value for money for local and national taxpayers, and the Council’s continued commitment to reduce debt as far as possible within their local capacity including via an ongoing asset disposal programme.

The Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) Statutory Override will remain in place until the end of 2027-28. While it remains in effect, all DSG deficits including any proportion of the historic deficit up to 2025-26 not covered by grant (“the residual deficit”) will remain in the associated statutory reserve (“the unusable reserve”) and will not affect local authorities’ wider financial positions. The DSG Statutory Override will end on 31 March 2028. Therefore, local authorities will need to plan to be able to meet the cost of the residual deficit from their own resources in 2028-29, including setting aside appropriate reserves in the preceding years.

The Government recognises that some local authorities will continue to have concerns about the pressures of their DSG deficits and the sufficiency of a 90% grant. The Government committed as part of the publication of the Final Local Government Finance Settlement that it would work with local authorities with these challenges, as part of supporting the development of Local SEND Reform Plans.