Written questions by Snowden.

How many additional (a) neighbourhood police officers, (b) police community support officers and (c) special constables have been recruited since the start of this Parliament.

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will deliver 13,000 additional policing personnel into neighbourhood teams by the end of this parliament, including 3000 additional neighbourhood officers by Spring 2026. All forces have agreed their delivery plans, and force-level recruitment projections are published here: Neighbourhood policing grant allocations and projections: 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK..The number of neighbourhood police personnel as of 31 March 2025 will be published in the Home Office’s upcoming biannual ‘Police Workforce Statistics, England and Wales’ publication. This release will provide a comprehensive overview of force-level workforce composition.We will publish progress against neighbourhood policing force delivery plans in due course.

How many police forces have (a) appointed a dedicated antisocial behaviour lead, (b) established an antisocial behaviour action plan and (c) increased patrols in hotspot areas.

Tackling anti-social behaviour and the harm it causes is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. The Government’s Plan for Change details our commitment to reduce ASB, including that every police force in England and Wales will have a dedicated lead officer by the end of July, who will work with communities to develop a local ASB action plan.I am pleased to confirm all dedicated ASB lead officers are now in place and will be developing local action plans as soon as possible.We are also delivering on our commitment to restore and strengthen neighbourhood policing, ensuring thousands of additional police officers and police community support officers are out patrolling in our town centres and communities to make the streets safer. As part of the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, £200 million has been allocated to forces for 2025/26 to support this commitment. Lancashire Constabulary has been allocated £5,090,296 and will deliver an increase of 53 police officers and 30 PCSOs by 31 March 2026.The Home Office is also providing £66.3millon 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 Constabulary will receive £1,713,512 of this funding.

What recent progress she has made in recruiting 6500 new teachers.

The department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across secondary and special schools, and in our colleges, over the course of this Parliament.We have made significant progress on this pledge. The workforce has grown by 2,346 full time employed staff in secondary and special schools between 2023/24 and 2024/25 and our future school teacher pipeline is also growing. As of June 2025, there are 12% more trainees who have accepted offers to train as secondary teachers, and in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, acceptances are up 25% compared to last year.The recent spending review will further support delivery of this key pledge, providing an above-inflation increase to our core schools budget of £4.2 billion additional funding by 2028/29, and a substantial investment in skills, with over £1 billion of additional funding by 2028/29.

How many VALOUR support centres for veterans he plans to locate in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire.

The detailed structures and processes that will underpin VALOUR are in development and further announcements, including on development funding, will be announced in due course. The first VALOUR pilot was launched on 26 June 2025, in partnership with Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire, and will help to develop a blueprint as VALOUR is rolled out across the country next year.

What steps her Department is taking to increase the teaching of CPR in schools.

All state-funded schools in England are required to teach first aid as part of statutory health education, which is taught as part of relationships, sex and health education (RSHE). It includes basic first aid and dealing with common injuries, such as head injuries. Pupils in secondary schools are taught further first aid, for example how to administer CPR and the purpose of defibrillators. Schools can teach topics beyond those covered in the statutory guidance and have flexibility to respond to local issues.We are currently reviewing the statutory RSHE curriculum, which includes considering whether any additional content is needed, and will be publishing revised guidance shortly.

Pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2025 to Question 61866 on Armed Forces: Buildings, if he will make an estimate of the cost of answering that Question.

The estimated cost of providing a response to Question 61866 - To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 June 2025 to Question 60125 on Armed Forces: Buildings, how many of those properties are in Fylde, would be approximately £7,800. This is more than the Parliamentary Question disproportionate cost limit of £850.

Whether her Department has made an estimate of the cost of hiring new teachers due to changes in employer National Insurance contributions for schools in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

The increase in National Insurance Contributions (NICs) costs was taken into account when calculating the additional funding the department is providing to support schools with the 2025 pay awards in the financial year 2025/26. Schools in Lancashire will be receiving £16.6 million to support them with their NICs costs and the department will publish allocations for the pay grant in the autumn. From 2026/27, funding in respect of NICs costs will be incorporated into schools’ core budgets through the national funding formula.

What steps she is taking to help increase the capacity of passenger rail services on the Lytham to Preston rail line.

The department expects operators to match capacity and frequency of their services to demand, which can mean increased service frequency where that is the right response - although these must also be operationally sustainable and deliver value for taxpayers. Northern is currently in discussions with train manufacturers over its plans to procure up to 450 new trains to replace the oldest trains in its current fleet. Approximately two thirds of the existing fleet is targeted to be replaced in the next 10 years. The new trains, the first of which are scheduled to enter service in 2030, will be cleaner and greener and will also deliver additional capacity on busy lines like Lytham-Preston.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2024 to Question 12182 on Schools: Fylde, what recent estimate she has made of the potential impact of the introduction of VAT on independent school fees on the number of children who (a) have enrolled in state sector schools since 1 September 2024 and (b) are expected to enrol in state sector schools in the 2025-26 academic year.

His Majesty’s Treasury published a Tax Information and Impact Note on applying VAT to independent school fees, which includes the government’s estimations of the number of pupils expected to enter the state sector as a result of this policy. This is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees/applying-vat-to-private-school-fees#who-is-likely-to-be-affected.

If she will publish the guidance issued to the Crown Prosecution Service on the application of the public interest test in cases involving freedom of expression.

All guidance issued to Crown Prosecutors to assist their decision making is available here: Prosecution guidance | The Crown Prosecution Service. The overarching Code for Crown Prosecutors issued by the Director for Public Prosecutions provides guidance on how to apply the Public Interest Test in all cases that are referred to the Crown Prosecution Service.Cases involving freedom of expression issues can come in many forms, and so the relevant guidance will be followed by prosecutors depending on the facts and circumstances of the alleged conduct and the relevant statutory provisions.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Spring Statement of 26 March 2025 on levels of business confidence in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

HMT monitors several business confidence and activity measures, none of which are available at the constituency level. According to the Lloyds Business Barometer, in June UK business confidence rose to its highest level since November 2015. HMT does not produce forecasts of the UK economy. Forecasting the economy, including the impact of Government policy decisions, is the responsibility of independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). The OBR does not publish estimates of the impact of policy decisions on business confidence.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of adding Lancashire to the pilot of the VALOUR veteran support centres.

On 26 June 2025 I launched the VALOUR pilot in partnership with Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire. There are a number of excellent support services available for veterans across this region, and across the UK. Through the enhanced coordination facilitated by VALOUR, the programme will promote a holistic approach to care by helping veterans access the full range of support services available to them. The pilot will serve as an opportunity to develop a comprehensive blueprint for the VALOUR network. While it is recognised that regional variations will be necessary to ensure the network meets the specific needs of local communities, the lessons learned from the pilot will form the basis for VALOUR across the country. We continue to move at pace, and VALOUR will be rolled out across the UK in 2026, so I am grateful for Lancashire's engagement and looking forward to working in the area soon.

Whether his Department has made an estimate of the cost of hiring new staff due to changes in employer National Insurance contributions for GP practices in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

We have made necessary decisions to fix the foundations of the public finances in the 2024 Autumn Budget. Resource spending for the Department will be £22.6 billion more in 2025/26 than in 2023/24, as part of the Spending Review settlement. The employers’ National Insurance rise was implemented in April 2025.General practice providers are valued independent contractors. Each year, we consult with the sector both about what services they provide, and the money providers are entitled to in return under their contract. Operating costs, such as staffing, for these providers are considered as a part of this process.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to support the conservation of native red squirrel populations.

The Government is committed to taking action to recover our threatened native species, including red squirrels, especially through the delivery of our biodiversity targets, which will benefit many of our native species including red squirrels.We know that red squirrel decline is being driven by the squirrel pox virus, habitat availability and competition from non-native grey squirrels. To address these pressures, we are supporting research into grey squirrel fertility and have put management measures in place to control grey squirrels to aid red squirrel conservation.We are considering how to go further to reduce the impacts of grey squirrels on our woodlands and red squirrel populations and shall have an update in due course.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure defibrillators in public buildings are properly serviced.

The Government Property Agency maintains defibrillators across its estate inline with best practice (annual servicing) and is aligned to manufacturer’s guidelines. Defibrillators are also regularly visually inspected.

What processes are in place to ensure that veterans self‑identifying in NHS primary care settings are effectively referred to VALOUR centres.

In May 2025, the Government announced VALOUR, a new programme which will establish VALOUR support centres and improve the coordination of services at a national, regional, and local level, making it easier for veterans to access the care and support available to them.NHS England is working with the Office for Veterans’ Affairs to develop processes to ensure that all National Health Service general practices are made aware of VALOUR centres, how referrals will work, and how veterans are able to access them.

Whether the Crown Prosecution Service uses information about recorded non-crime hate incidents in deciding whether to (a) bring charges and (b) recommend bail conditions.

All factual matters material to a criminal sentence must be admitted by the offender or proven in a court to the criminal standard using admissible evidence. By definition, the recording of a previous incident as “non-crime” is unlikely to meet that standard.The Code for Crown Prosecutors sets out the general principles a prosecutor must apply when making a decision as to whether there is sufficient evidence, and whether it is in the public interest, to authorise criminal charges against a suspect. The Crown Prosecution Service has published guidance on bail, the focus of which is on ensuring that the Court is provided with the relevant information to enable it to come to a proper decision as to whether or not to grant bail, with or without conditions. This will be fact specific to the circumstances of the alleged offence and the defendant. The administrative police recording of an earlier incident or allegation, which has previously been determined not to have been a crime, is unlikely to have any relevance to the question of bail.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of regulations governing online platforms used by the gig economy..

Businesses operating in the UK, including online platforms in the gig economy, must comply with UK laws and regulations on employment, data protection, taxation, business regulation and right to work. Responsibility for overseeing these regulations spans multiple departments and regulators, depending on the issue.The Department for Business and Trade is responsible for employment rights legislation, where the Government has committed to moving towards a simpler framework for employment status. Our priority is ensuring those workers who are most vulnerable know their rights and have the benefit of protection at work.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the recording of non-crime hate incidents on the sentencing of individuals in future criminal proceedings.

All factual matters material to a criminal sentence must be admitted by the offender or proven in a court to the criminal standard using admissible evidence. By definition, the recording of a previous incident as “non-crime” is unlikely to meet that standard.The Code for Crown Prosecutors sets out the general principles a prosecutor must apply when making a decision as to whether there is sufficient evidence, and whether it is in the public interest, to authorise criminal charges against a suspect. The Crown Prosecution Service has published guidance on bail, the focus of which is on ensuring that the Court is provided with the relevant information to enable it to come to a proper decision as to whether or not to grant bail, with or without conditions. This will be fact specific to the circumstances of the alleged offence and the defendant. The administrative police recording of an earlier incident or allegation, which has previously been determined not to have been a crime, is unlikely to have any relevance to the question of bail.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of wastewater capacity in Fylde constituency for planned housing developments.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 57582 on 26 June 2025.