Written questions by Snowden.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing free swimming lessons for young people in coastal areas.

Swimming and water safety lessons are compulsory at key stage 1 and 2 as part of the physical education (PE) national curriculum. Swimming and water safety are vital life skills. Every child should have the opportunity to learn to swim and know how to keep themselves safe around water by the time they leave primary school.Primary schools can also use the PE and sport premium to fund additional swimming lessons for pupils who do not meet the national curriculum expectations after their core lessons.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of inflation on the cost of maintaining local roads and highways in Fylde constituency.

The Government takes the condition of the country’s roads very seriously and is committed to supporting local highway authorities across the country in maintaining and renewing the local highway network and tackling the maintenance backlog. The Government has already announced a funding uplift of £500 million for local highway maintenance for the 2025/26 financial year. Lancashire County Council is the local highway authority for the Fylde constituency and has been allocated up to a maximum of £46.8 million for 2025/26 pending successful completion of the incentive measures announced in March 2025. This funding increase is more than enough to cover inflationary price rises. Longer-term funding decisions beyond 2025/26 will be determined at the forthcoming Spending Review.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of inflation on school budgets in Fylde constituency.

Having prioritised spending to meet the teachers pay award, schools will now be receiving £65.3 billion in 2025/26 compared to £61.6 billion in the 2024/25 financial year.The local authority that covers Fylde is Lancashire, and Lancashire is receiving £1.1 billion through the dedicated schools grant (DSG) for mainstream schools in the 2025/26 financial year. This represents a 2.4% increase in per pupil funding compared to the 2024/25 financial year (including premises but excluding growth funding). The additional funding being provided following the teacher pay announcement is on top of what is being provided through the DSG in the 2025/26 financial year.The department recognises that most schools will need to supplement the new funding they receive in the 2025/26 financial year with improved productivity and smarter spending. However, schools are not alone in their efforts to better manage their spending. The department will be further developing the current suite of initiatives to support schools with their workforce, commercial and asset management. Schools are already making savings and bringing core operating costs down. For example, the 400 schools who participated in the department’s new energy for schools offer will save 36% on average compared to their previous contracts.

Communities and Local Government, what funding she has made available to support community-led housing schemes.

Community-led housing schemes can apply for government funding through a range of existing programmes, including the Brownfield Land Release Fund and the Affordable Homes Programme. On 25 March, we announced a £20 million support package for community-led housebuilding groups, including housing co-operatives and community land trusts. This investment, managed by Resonance Ltd, will support the construction of over 2,500 new homes in the next decade, addressing local needs.

How much funding has been allocated to road (a) maintenance and (b) investment in (i) Fylde constituency and (ii) Lancashire in 2025–26.

The Government takes the condition of the country’s roads very seriously and is committed to supporting local highway authorities across the country in maintaining and renewing the local highway network and tackling the maintenance backlog. The Government has already announced a funding uplift of £500 million for local highway maintenance for the 2025/26 financial year. Lancashire County Council is the local highway authority for the Fylde constituency and has been allocated up to a maximum of £46.8 million for 2025/26 pending successful completion of the incentive measures announced in March 2025. Funding is not ring-fenced, and it is entirely a matter for Lancashire County Council how it is spent.

What steps she is taking to provide funding for active travel in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

The Department for Transport recently announced almost £300 million of funding to boost active travel across England, this includes £222.5 million to local authorities outside of London. In 2024/25, Lancashire County Council received over £1.4 million in capital funding and over £800,000 in revenue funding for active travel and has been allocated over £4.5 million in combined funding for 2025/26. In 2023/24, Lancashire County Council received an additional £736,983 to deliver Bikeability cycle training. It is for local authorities to decide on where to prioritise investment in their local transport networks. In 2024, Lancashire County Council published seven Local Walking and Cycling Investment Plans (LCWIPs), including one for Fylde Coast. LCWIPs help local authorities to make a strong case for future investment in active travel infrastructure.

What steps his Department is taking to help support care homes to (a) address workforce shortages and (b) provide high-quality care for elderly people in Fylde constituency.

English local authorities have responsibility under the Care Act 2014 to meet social care needs and statutory guidance directs them to ensure there is sufficient workforce in adult social care (ASC).The Government recognises the scale of reforms needed to make the ASC sector attractive, to support sustainable workforce growth and improve the recruitment and retention of the domestic workforce. This is why we are introducing the first ever Fair Pay Agreement to the ASC sector so that care professionals are recognised and rewarded for the important work that they do.The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator for health and social care in England. CQC Regulation 18 states that providers must deploy “sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, competent, skilled and experienced staff to enable them to meet the needs of the people using the service at all times”. Where the CQC finds a breach in this regulation, it can take regulatory action to ensure the safety of people drawing on care and support.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce court backlogs for residents in Fylde constituency.

This Government inherited a record and rising courts backlog. For this financial year (25/26), this Government is funding a record allocation of Crown Court sitting days to deliver swifter justice for victims – 110,000 sitting days this year, 4,000 higher than the last Government funded. However, the scale of the challenge is beyond what increasing sitting days can achieve.That is why we have commissioned Sir Brian Leveson to conduct a review of efficiency that will propose once-in-a-generation reform to deliver swifter justice for victims.In civil justice, courts and tribunals are sitting at, or close to maximum judicial capacity in every jurisdiction.In the Fylde constituency:Crown Jurisdiction:We continue to operate all 13 Crown courtrooms across the Lancashire estate to maximise use of sitting days. Along with a robust case management approach Lancashire runs an Expedited Domestic Abuse trial scheme where Domestic Abuse cases are prioritised and given a trial date within 16 weeks.Magistrates Jurisdiction:Over the last 12 months we have successfully recruited 6 Trainee Legal Advisers which has meant we have been able to increase the number of courts held each week from 30 to 65, reducing waiting times across Lancashire.Family Jurisdiction:Our focus across Lancashire is to progress the family cases in as timely a way as possible whilst balancing the individual circumstances and needs of each case. The Designated Family Judge, along with HMCTS, has implemented a robust case progression initiative. Cases are reviewed and cases that are suitable for the hearing date to be brought forward are prioritised. This is achieved by utilising courtroom capacity that becomes available from other cases resolving.

What steps she is taking to support victims of domestic abuse in (a) Fylde and (b) other rural and coastal areas.

The Government is committed to ensuring that all victims of domestic abuse, including those in rural and coastal areas such as Fylde, can access the support they need. Through the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, we are strengthening the rights of all victims and improving their access to services, such as consulting on a new and improved Victims’ Code, or introducing a duty on local commissioners to better collaborate when commissioning victim support services.The Ministry of Justice provides funding to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to commission local victims support services tailored to community needs, allowing PCCs in rural and coastal communities to best support victims in their area. This includes Lancashire PCC, which currently funds 15 domestic abuse organisations, five of which cover the Fylde constituency and other rural areas. These include;Victim Support – National organisation with services across England, including Lancashire and Fylde.Fylde Coast Women’s Aid (FCWA) – Explicitly supports victims of domestic abuse in Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde.Empowerment – Provides a range of services across Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre, including mental health, advocacy, and domestic abuse support.Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – Covers the Fylde coast area, including Fylde.Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board – Oversees health services across the region, including Fylde and other rural areas.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of short-term holiday lets on local housing availability in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

Whilst second homes and short-term lets can benefit local economies, the government appreciate that excessive concentrations in some areas of the country can impact the availability and affordability of homes, both to rent and buy.We remain committed to introducing a registration scheme for short-term lets and removing the furnished holiday lets rules to ensure all income from property will be treated the same for tax purposes.We also recognise that more needs to be done and are considering what additional powers we might give local authorities to enable them to respond to the pressures created by short term lets.

What recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of inflation on average household disposable income in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

Inflation has fallen from the peak of 11.1%, returning to the 2% target in September 2024, before increasing again to 3.5% in April. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility forecast that CPI inflation will peak at 3.8% in July this year before falling rapidly to around the 2.0% target from mid-2026 onwards. Real household disposable income (RHDI) per person is a common measure of living standards. It includes the total income of households, in a given period, after direct taxes have been accounted for and adjusting for the effect of inflation. RHDI per person is only available at the UK wide level and cannot be disaggregated by county or constituency. In the latest data, for Q4 2024, RHDI per person grew at its fastest quarterly rate in two years, rising by 1.5% compared to Q3 2024.According to the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2025 forecast, RHDI per person was forecast to grow at an annual average of 0.5% over this parliament (Q3 2024 – Q2 2029).

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent funding he has provided to local authorities in Fylde constituency to help tackle (a) water pollution and (b) storm overflows into the Ribble Estuary.

Water and sewerage companies are responsible for the maintenance of storm overflows and other assets. The Water (Special Measures) Act will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry and the Independent Water Commission will make recommendations to shape and transform how our water system works and clean up our waterways for good. As part of Price Review 2024 (PR24), which runs from 2025 to 2030, Ofwat are allowing United Utilities £2.5 billion to reduce the use of storm overflows by at least 33%. During this period, UU will be improving eight storm overflows in the Fylde constituency to reduce how often they discharge, in order to improve both river and coastal water quality. Monitoring investigations are being undertaken in the Ribble catchment to inform future actions to improve bathing water quality at designated bathing waters on the River Ribble and Fylde coast, including St Annes.

What support her Department provides to victims of online fraud and scams in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

The National Economic Crime Victim Care Unit (NECVCU), led by the City of London Police, is a national service that supports all 43 forces in England and Wales, which provides victims of all types of fraud and cybercrime with the support they need.The aim of NECVCU is for victims to feel safe and more confident following contact, whilst assisting them to cope and recover from the crime, and reduce the likelihood of repeat victimisation. Since its inception in 2018, NECVCU has supported over 440,000 victims of fraud.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) flood resilience and (b) coastal erosion defences along the Fylde coast.

The Environment Agency regularly provides information to community emergency response and flood action groups within Fylde. Coastal communities have been identified as a priority and are included in the Environment Agency’s engagement planning strategy. The Shoreline Management plans set out a planned approach to manage the flood and coastal erosion risk. The Environment Agency is working with partners on the ‘Our Future Coast’ project to design and test new approaches to coastal flood risk management. The Fylde coast is currently protected by several coastal flood defences from Blackpool to Warton. The Environment Agency is working with the Local Authorities to identify funding streams and opportunities for future schemes along this coastline to further enhance existing defences. An example of this includes the Fylde Sand Dune project.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the condition of school buildings in Fylde constituency.

The department supports academy trusts, local authorities and voluntary-aided bodies, who are responsible for managing the safety and maintenance of their estates, with capital funding, rebuilding programmes and guidance on effective estate management.We recently confirmed details of £2.1 billion of capital funding for the 2025/26 financial year to improve the condition of schools, up from £1.8 billion committed for the 2024/25 financial year. Allocations are partly informed by consistent data on the condition of the estate collected by the department reflecting the relative need of schools.This is on top of the continuing school rebuilding programme, which includes Lytham St Annes High School in Fylde constituency.From 2021 to 2026, the department’s Condition Data Collection 2 is providing updated data on the condition of schools in England. Findings from Condition Data Collection 1, including those in Fylde, can be accessed here: https://depositedpapers.parliament.uk/depositedpaper/2285521/details.

What support is available to local authorities to expand family hubs in areas with limited public transport access.

The government’s Plan for Change sets out a commitment to give children the best start in life. Delivering this will require strengthening and joining up family services to improve support through pregnancy and early childhood. This includes continuing to invest in and build up the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme.75 local authorities with some of the highest levels of deprivation have received funding and a further £12 million has supported Family Hubs in 13 additional local authorities through the Family Hubs Transformation Fund. There are now more than 500 Family Hubs across the 88 funded local authorities.In the 2025/26 financial year, the government is providing £126 million to give every child the best start in life and deliver on the Plan for Change. More information on this funding can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/families-to-receive-126-million-in-early-years-support. Future funding decisions are subject to the multi-year spending review.The evidence and learning from this investment will help to improve services across England where they are most needed.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure adequate (a) infrastructure is and (b) public services are in place before the approval of large-scale housing developments in (i) Fylde constituency and (ii) Lancashire.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 26106 on 5 February 2025.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of inflation on small and medium businesses in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

DBT monitors the financial health of the SME population using a wide range of sources, including the SME Finance Monitor which stated that in 2024, 35% of SMEs rated costs as a major obstacle to running business in the next 12 months, compared with 38% in 2023. The Bank of England is responsible for controlling inflation through monetary policy tools. It has cut the interest rates four times since August 2024 as inflationary pressures eased from their recent peak, working to sustainably returning inflation to the 2% target rate.In addition, the government is establishing trade agreements that will help reduce cost. Supermarkets have said publicly that the recently announced UK-EU SPS Agreement will help to ease the pressure on food prices.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to improve water safety in coastal areas.

Responsibilities for water safety sit with various government departments and agencies including the Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs and the Health and Safety Executive, which has produced the Prevention of drowning document (link). In addition, The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is responsible for enforcing the safety of boats used in navigation, including people on them, and the safety of the crew. Together with the Department for Transport they produced the Maritime Safety Action Plan (link).The National Governing Bodies are responsible for providing advice and guidance for how to participate in their sports safely. The Government provides support to these organisations through funding from Sport England.

What steps she is taking to reduce antisocial behaviour in town centres in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) and the harm it causes is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. As part of the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, £200 million has been allocated to forces for 2025/26 to support the Government’s commitment to deliver an additional personnel into neighbourhood policing . Lancashire Constabulary has been allocated £5,090,296 and will deliver an increase of 53 police officers and 30 PCSOs by 31 March 2026.​These officers will be equipped with tougher powers, such as the Respect Order, which was introduced in the Crime and Policing Bill, to crack down on persistent anti-social behaviour and crimes blighting our high streets and town centres. Other measures in the Bill include enhancing the powers for the police to seize nuisance off-road bikes, and other vehicles which are being used in an anti-social manner, without having to first give a warning to the offender.The Home Office is also providing £66.3 million funding in 2025-26 to forces in England and Wales to deliver high visibility patrols in the areas worst affected by knife crime, serious violence and anti-social behaviour. Lancashire Police will receive £1,713,512 of this funding.