The adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) continues to offer adopted and kinship children a good standard of support, tailored to meet their individual needs. Where needed, local authorities and regional adoption agencies can use their own funding to increase the amount of therapy.

The ASGSF is an important source of support, but it is not the only support available to adoptive families. The department is funding Adoption England with £8.8 million this year to improve services, including specific projects to improve adoption support. This includes the establishment of Centres of Excellence as multidisciplinary teams across health, social care and education.

We are also making £500 million available to local authorities to roll out Family Help and Child Protection nationally to transform services and transition towards earlier intervention. This will nearly double direct investment in preventative services.

The criteria for the adoption and special guardianship support fund will enable as many children and families as possible to access funding. The department always assesses the impact, including the economic impact, of changes on vulnerable children.

The UK government is dedicated to leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance public services safely and securely. The AI Playbook for the UK Government security section (p. 74) includes an assessment of the risks coming from the use of AI. The Playbook includes worked scenarios for AI use which detail potential impacts for the different types of risk. All AI services must adhere to Secure by Design principles and conduct risk assessments, including Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs).

The department has established an AI working group to identify, assess and manage opportunities and risks associated with AI technologies in the department. Before any new technology or product is implemented in the department it undergoes security assurance and data protection considerations.

Critical and important systems and services are risk assessed by the department’s Information Security team to identify and communicate risks to service risk owners, and to provide recommendations to mitigate those risks that are above the service and department’s risk appetite.

Security concerns on cross government use of AI tools such as Humphrey are managed centrally via the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Government Security Group.

The following resources, produced by His Majesty’s Government, are available to the department:

• AI Playbook for Government, which can be accessed here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ai-playbook-for-the-uk-government.
• Code of Practice for the Cyber Security of AI, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ai-cyber-security-code-of-practice/code-of-practice-for-the-cyber-security-of-ai.

The department supports learners who wish to have a career in welding through our technical education offer, with a range of high-quality qualifications and apprenticeship opportunities available at all levels. This includes the level 2 welder apprenticeship standard and the plate welder and pipe welder apprenticeship standards at level 3.

T Levels in engineering, manufacturing, processing and control are now being taught across the country, providing students with the core knowledge and skills in fabrication and welding technologies.

Welding is predominately a level 2 occupational entry point and, at level 1 and 2, there are seventeen qualifications in welding available to young people and adults, including two new reformed level 2 technical qualifications approved for funding from 1 August 2025.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Slough to the answer of 29 March 2025 to Question 34303.

The median age of computers issued to officials is 3 years and 2 months.

Students who are absent from their course for more than 60 days due to illness and have agreed with their higher education (HE) provider to suspend their studies can apply to Student Finance England (SFE) to continue their cost of living support payments.

The HE provider must notify SFE that the student is suspending their studies, giving the reasons for suspending and providing an agreed date of return, generally up to a maximum of one year’s absence or up to two years in exceptional circumstances. SFE will consider each case on its own merits, including the reasons for the absence, whether the student will face financial hardship during their absence, whether the student has dependants and the prospect of the student returning to the course.

If a student needs to repeat a year of study due to compelling personal reasons (CPR), they may be entitled to an additional year of tuition fee funding in addition to their standard entitlement. SFE will request evidence to support a claim that the repeat year was for CPR. For instance, the student might be able to provide medical evidence from their GP. Ultimately, the decision is for SFE to make based on the evidence provided and the individual merits of each case.

UK higher education creates opportunity, is an engine for growth in the economy, and supports local communities. The department is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university.

Student loans are subject to interest to ensure that those who can afford to do so contribute to the full cost of their degree.

Interest is charged from the first payment of the student loan is made until the loan has been repaid in full or cancelled, with interest added to the principal balance each month. Interest will continue to accrue even if a student suspends or withdraws from their course, including for students pausing their studies due to unforeseen circumstances. Borrowers will be liable to repay after leaving study only when earning over the relevant student loan repayment threshold.

After study, unlike commercial loans, student loans carry significant protections for borrowers. Regular student loan repayments are based on a borrower’s monthly or weekly income, not the interest rate or amount borrowed, and no repayments are made for earnings below the relevant student loan repayment threshold. Any outstanding debt, including interest built up, is written off at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower.

Where the previous Government failed, Labour is getting Britain building again. Our pioneering new homebuilding skills hubs will deliver fast-track training, meaning more opportunity, new homes and stronger growth. Some 32 hubs across the country will create 5,000 more construction apprenticeship places and play a part in getting Britain building again. A homebuilding revolution requires a skills revolution, and Labour will provide more homes, greater opportunity and stronger growth.

This government has committed to widening the apprenticeships offer into a growth and skills offer, which will provide greater flexibility to employers and learners across the country, including in Slough and the South East. It will also align with the industrial strategy, creating routes into good, skilled jobs in growing industries, such as construction.

As a first step, this will include shorter duration and foundation apprenticeships in targeted sectors, helping more people learn new high-quality skills at work, fuelling innovation in businesses across the country and providing high quality entry pathways for young people.

In addition, as part of this government’s ambitious plan to rebuild Britain and deliver 1.5 million homes in England in this Parliament, 32 new Homebuilding Skills Hubs will deliver fast-track training in critical areas such as bricklaying, groundwork, and site carpentry to boost housebuilding and drive forward the government’s growth mission. Hubs will be established in areas where large-scale homebuilding projects lead to a surge in demand. These Hubs will help deliver around 5,000 more construction apprenticeship places per year by 2027/28, through a £140 million industry investment to get Britain building again.

The department is committed to introducing an alternative student finance (ASF) product, compatible with Islamic finance principles, as quickly as we can. To support this, the department has reconvened an expert working group made up of representatives from the Islamic community and the finance sector. The department has also appointed a secretariat to take forward the certification of the product as compatible with Islamic finance principles.

The delivery of the ASF product will need to follow the introduction of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE), which will replace the existing student finance system when introduced. The first LLE-funded courses and modules will begin in January 2027 and the department intends to introduce ASF as soon as possible after this.

Information on the student support package for the 2024/25 academic year, is available on GOV.UK at: https://studentfinance.campaign.gov.uk/currently-a-student/.

The higher education (HE) sector needs a secure financial footing to face the challenges of the next decade, and to ensure that all students have confidence that they will receive the world-class HE experience they deserve.

In line with this approach, on 4 November 2024, this government announced that from 1 August 2025 it will be increasing both the maximum cap for tuition fees, and maintenance loans for students, in line with inflation.

There is much more to do to expand access and improve outcomes for disadvantaged students. That is why we have announced that we expect the HE sector to do more to support students by working with the government and the Office for Students, and by making the most of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement. We will be setting out longer-term plans for the sector next year.

Further information for prospective students is provided on the Student Finance England website, available here: https://studentfinance.campaign.gov.uk/student-toolkit/.

The government will announce further details of the student finance package for the 2025/26 academic year soon.

The department publishes statistics on those not in education, employment or training (NEET) for England from the labour force survey (LFS) for young people aged 16 to 24. The statistics are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/neet-statistics-annual-brief.

The number of 16 to 24-year-olds estimated as NEET in England at the end of 2023 is estimated to be 709,600 (11.9% of the population). However, these estimates are only published at national level due to limitations with sample sizes for lower-level geographies. Therefore, NEET rates for young people aged 16 to 24 in Slough cannot be provided.

However, local authorities are required to encourage, enable or assist young people’s participation in education or training and return management information for young people aged 16 and 17. This data is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/neet-and-participation-local-authority-figures. The data shows that of the 4,435 young people aged 16 and 17 years old who were known to Slough local authority at the end of 2022 (average of December 2022, January 2023 and February 2023), 217 were NEET or their activity was not known (117 known to be NEET and 100 young people for whom the local authority could not confirm their activity). These statistics are published as transparency data so some caution should be taken if using these figures.

The definition is detailed in the Functional Standards Common Glossary, which is published on the GOV.UK website.

The government is committed to promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and skills to ensure the UK remains competitive in the global economy.

Universities operate as autonomous institutions, therefore specific data on the number of university biology, chemistry and physics departments that have opened and/or closed in the last five years is not collected or maintained by the department.

The government recognises the financial environment of the higher education sector is increasingly challenging and the department is aware that some providers are making difficult decisions in order to safeguard their financial sustainability. The department is committed to working with the sector to create a secure future for our world-leading universities.

The government has recently announced a £40 million package to trial a new Kinship Allowance in up to 10 local authorities to test whether paying an allowance to cover the additional costs of supporting the child can help increase the number of children taken in by family members and friends. Further details on the process for selecting local authorities will be shared shortly.

The programme will begin in 2025 and decisions about future national rollout will be informed by the findings of the evaluation. We will share further detail on the timetable and delivery of the programme in due course.

The government recognises the important role that kinship carers play in caring for some of the most vulnerable children.

The government recently announced a £40 million package to trial a new Kinship Allowance in up to ten local authorities to test whether paying an allowance to cover certain costs, such as supporting a child to settle into a new home with relatives, can help increase the number of children taken in by family members and friends.

This is the single biggest kinship care investment made by government to date. This investment could transform the lives of vulnerable children who can no longer live at home.

The programme will begin in 2025 and decisions about future national rollout will be informed by the findings of the evaluation. The department will share further detail on the timetable and delivery of the programme in due course.

The department is committed to improving its productivity, including through artificial intelligence (AI) and effective use of data.

For example, a Microsoft Azure Open AI sandbox environment has been enabled to limited groups of users within the department, allowing them to build and test AI models based on specific use cases in a safe and secure environment. This has allowed the department to safely and securely test 12 use cases ahead of a launch into production and wider rollout to our workforce. If testing goes well, newly-developed technologies are expected to be rolled out to staff from December 2024. We believe these will be amongst the first bespoke generative AI tools launched in government and will allow the department to deliver its services to the public at a faster pace and lower cost.

The department is also mid-way through the migration of its analysts to the new Analytical Data Access service, giving analysts and policy teams a single point of access to key departmental data. This data is fully governed, secure and discoverable using the latest cloud technology tools. This is significantly improving the speed and reliability of the department’s data to better inform holistic policy and funding considerations, and support scenario planning. It also provides a secure environment for utilising AI and large language models, where both lawful and ethical.

The department draws on a range of resources, published on GOV.UK, to inform its AI and data usage, for example, the Generative AI Framework and the Ethics, Transparency and Accountability Framework. We also work closely with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to widen access to the data we are responsible for via the existing ONS Secure Research Service, and are also partnering with the ONS to support development and integration of department data into the new Integrated Data Service.

The department also has access to the Central Digital and Data Office, based in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, for expert advice. We will continue to regularly review our usage of AI and data to maximise productivity benefits for staff and the public.