Every parliamentary written question tabled by Andrew Snowden this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 2,201–2,220 of 2,662 · this parliament
Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 55351 on Environmental Stewardship Scheme: Fylde, how many Higher Level Stewardship agreements exist in total.
As of the 11 June 2025 the Rural Payments Agency can confirm there is currently a total of 5,471 Higher-Level Stewardship related Environmental Stewardship agreements.
Pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2025 to Question 54073 on Anti-social Behaviour: Lancashire, how the effectiveness of the Respect Order in tackling persistent anti-social behaviour in town centres will be evaluated.
We are committed to monitoring and evaluating the delivery of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee and have worked collaboratively with policing to agree a full performance framework for the Guarantee and its five pillars. To monitor the crackdown on anti-social behaviour we will be measuring public perceptions and experience of ASB in their local area, how many dedicated lead officers there are for ASB, presence of ASB action plans, police recorded incidents of ASB and police use of ASB powers. The performance framework is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/neighbourhood-policing-guarantee-performance-frameworkAs part of their Hotspot Action Fund grant agreement forces are required to return precise data returns outlining the times spent patrolling ASB hotspots. This data is used by Home Office analysts to understand levels of patrolling and impact on volumes of ASB. Forces are also required to return data on the work they are undertaking as part of Hotspot Action Fund to problem solve the causes of ASB in their identified hotspots.The Respect Order 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. We will be piloting Respect Orders in police force areas prior to national rollout. Its use will be monitored to ensure that they are as effective as possible.In addition, through the Crime and Policing Bill, the Government will be introducing a duty for key relevant agencies including local authorities to report ASB data to the Government.Following commencement, regulations will be laid to specify which data the relevant agencies should provide, and the form and regularity of submission. This will improve the national data on how powers are being used and why, allow better monitoring of targeted ASB interventions, and help to inform future government work to tackle ASB. Additionally, a wide range of police data is already collected through the Home Office’s Annual Data Requirement. From April 2025, this includes data on police use of ASB powers in the 2014 Act. This is initially on a voluntary basis and subject to data quality, will be made mandatory from April 2026.
What steps he is taking to retain workers in the health system.
The Government is committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work, to ensure the retention of our hardworking and dedicated staff. We will publish a refreshed workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again.NHS England is leading work nationally through its retention programme to drive a consistent, system-wide approach to staff retention across NHS trusts. This ensures trusts have access to proven retention strategies, data-driven monitoring, and can foster a more stable, engaged, productive, and supported workforce.
If she will make an estimate of the number of students in state schools who have transferred from the private sector in the last year in Fylde.
The number of state school pupils in Lancashire decreased by more than 1,000 between January 2024 and January 2025. This suggests that any transfers from the private sector within the relevant local authority have been easily absorbed, alongside other pressures.
Innovation and Technology, what environmental impact assessments are required prior to the installation of 6G infrastructure.
The Government has not yet made any formal decision on what environmental impact assessments may be needed prior to the installation of 6G infrastructure. 6G technology will not be deployed until the 2030s based on current development and standardisation cycles. Were a specialised impact assessment needed for 6G infrastructure specifically, it would need to reflect the known characteristics, architectures and design aspects of 6G technologies, which will not be known until the industry-led standardisation process is complete.
Pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2025 to Question 55229 on Electric Bicycles: Sales, if she will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to implement a cross-Government strategy on tackling illegally modified electric bikes.
The Department believes a cross-Government strategy on illegally modified e-cycles is not needed. E-cycles, including those that have been modified, can only be legally used on the roads where they comply in full with the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle Regulations 1983. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Unit has a market surveillance unit and has the powers to act against retailers selling non-complaint e-cycles. Where such e-cycles are used on the roads, the police have powers to seize them. The powers for the police to act are being strengthened in the Crime and Policing Bill, with the police no longer required to provide a warning before seizing any vehicle, including an e-cycle, where it is being used anti-socially.
Innovation and Technology, what discussions his Department has had with (a) local authorities and (b) people living in areas in which 6G masts are proposed on the (i) location and (ii) visual impact of those masts.
The Government has not yet had discussions with local authorities or residents on the location of any 6G infrastructure to date. 6G technology will not be deployed in the UK or elsewhere until the 2030s based on current industry development and standardisation cycles.Currently, ground-based radio masts up to 30 metres in non-protected areas, and up to 25 metres in protected areas benefit from permitted development rights. Prior approval from the local planning authority is needed on certain matters, including siting and appearance of any masts up to this height.
What steps he is taking to support people with motor neurone disease in Fylde constituency.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning most services for people with long-term conditions, including motor neurone disease (MND) services. ICBs are allocated funding by NHS England to meet local need and priorities, and improve outcomes. The NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB oversees healthcare services in the region, including in the Fylde area. NHS England continues to set national standards, service specifications, and clinical access policies, which ICBs are expected to apply.At the national level, there are several initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with MND, including those patients in the Fylde constituency. These initiatives include the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology and the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit. NHS England has also established a Neurology Transformation Programme, a multi-year, clinically led programme, which has developed a new model of integrated care to support ICBs to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients, including those with MND.NHS England commissions the specialised elements of MND care that patients may receive from 27 specialised neurology centres across England. Within these specialised centres, neurological multidisciplinary teams ensure that patients can access a range of health professionals and specialised treatment and support, according to their needs.Government responsibility for delivering MND research is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care, with research delivered via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation. Government funders are continuing to invest into MND research, for example: investing £12.5 million to support the best discovery science in MND at the UK Dementia Research Institute; £6 million of Government funding for the Motor Neurone Disease Translational Accelerator, which is seeking to speed up the development of treatments for MND; and £8 million investment into EXPERTS-ALS, which screens for drugs that have the potential to be successful in clinical trials for people with MND.
Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to ensure the (a) security and (b) resilience of 6G infrastructure against potential (i) cyber threats and (ii) foreign interference.
The Government is committed to ensuring the security and resilience of the UK's telecommunications infrastructure. The Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021 introduced a robust security framework throughout the United Kingdom and requires public telecoms providers to identify, reduce, and prepare for security and resilience risks, including from cyber threats and foreign interference.The development of 6G technology is still in its early stages, but Government is actively working with industry to ensure that cybersecurity and resilience requirements are addressed from the outset. Government is directly participating in the development of technical standards for 6G, working with industry to understand emerging security and resilience challenges, and actively supporting innovative solutions to cybersecurity challenges through our R&D programmes on advanced connectivity.
Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to protect long-standing (a) cultural and (b) night-time economy venues from (i) closure and (ii) restrictions due to new residential development.
The National Planning Policy Framework provides strong protections to ensure that new residential development can be integrated effectively with existing businesses and community facilities. It sets out that existing businesses and facilities should not have unreasonable restrictions placed on them as a result of development permitted after they were established. Where the operation of an existing business or community facility could have a significant adverse effect on new development (including changes of use) in its vicinity, the applicant (or ‘agent of change’) should be required to provide suitable mitigation before the development has been completed. We will consider how we can ensure the most effective implementation of the ‘agent of change’ principle as part of our work to create a new set of national policies for decision making which we will consult on this year.
What guidance the Health Security Agency has issued on the potential impact of 6G masts on health.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) provides advice on any potential health risks and protection from exposure to the radio waves from telecommunications systems, including those planned to provide 6G services. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electric-and-magnetic-fields-health-effects-of-exposureThe frequencies anticipated to be used by 6G systems will be well within the scope of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection guidelines.The UKHSA continues to review the developments applicable to radio technologies, including 6G, and will update its advice as necessary.
What steps her Department is taking to provide financial support to help reduce levels of child poverty in (a) (i) rural and (ii) coastal constituencies and (b) Fylde constituency.
Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity. The Child Poverty Taskforce is progressing urgent work to publish the Child Poverty Strategy later this year. The Strategy will look at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across Government and work underway in Devolved Governments. The Taskforce recognises the distinct challenges of poverty faced by children living in rural and coastal areas, and we are considering all children across the UK in the development of the strategy. To shape and inform these plans, the Taskforce is listening to experts and campaigners and engaging with families, charities, and leading organisations across the UK, including rural and coastal communities. The vital work of the Taskforce comes alongside our commitments to roll out free breakfast clubs in all primary schools, extend Free School Meals to every pupil whose household is in receipt of Universal Credit, create 3,000 additional nurseries, and deliver our plan to make work pay and get Britain working. We have also introduced a Fair Repayment Rate for deductions from Universal Credit and increased the National Living Wage to £12.21 an hour to boost the pay of three million workers.
Food and Rural Affairs, what metrics his Department uses to assess the effectiveness of routine avian influenza surveillance systems in detecting early outbreaks of H5N1.
Our avian influenza surveillance programmes are line with international standards of best practice and requirements for disease surveillance set out by the World Organisation for Animal Health’s Terrestrial Animal Health Code. In addition to our statutory obligations set out in The Avian Influenza and Influenza of Avian Origin in Mammals (England) (No.2) Order 2006 (as amended). Our avian influenza surveillance is comprised of mandatory reporting of suspicion of avian influenza in kept birds and mammals, targeted avian influenza and testing of found dead wild birds and wild mammals. In addition, targeted serological surveillance for avian influenza viruses in domestic poultry is carried out annually in Great Britain by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) as required by The Avian Influenza and Influenza of Avian Origin in Mammals (England) (No.2) Order 2006 and in line with the sampling guidance in assimilated legislation 2010/367. The serological surveillance is a risk-based, targeted programme which aims to detect low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) in gallinaceous birds (chickens, turkeys, game birds) which could mutate into high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), and HPAI and LPAI in domestic waterfowl which generally don’t show clinical signs of avian influenza. Sampling is required to be undertaken where the prevalence of infected poultry holdings is at least 5% with a 95% confidence interval.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to provide (a) support and (b) resources for (i) small-scale and (ii) backyard bird keepers to help ensure their compliance with avian influenza surveillance and biosecurity measures.
Supporting bird keepers, the public and conservation bodies to manage and prepare for avian influenza continues to be one of Defra’s main priorities. Defra and the Devolved Governments have several lines of communication to bird keepers and the public. Each administration has a live avian influenza page which is updated regularly with the most recent information. Biosecurity guidance and a biosecurity self-assessment checklist have also been published by each of the UK administrations to assist all bird keepers in instigating and maintaining good biosecurity, including mandatory measures when an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) is in force. We also issue national, local and trade press releases to make sure the latest information is communicated through the media. We regularly post the latest advice, key messages, and situational updates on both Defra and APHA social media channels. Through our work with a wide range of industry groups, this vital information is also distributed out to their members. All bird keepers in Great Britain must now register their poultry and other captive birds (with the exception of certain psittacines and passerines), even if only kept as pets. Registered keepers will receive regular updates and guidance to help protect their birds from avian influenza. The new registration requirements which came into force in Autumn 2024 will enable Government to communicate with bird keepers quickly, to mitigate the risk of further disease spread. In addition, anyone can subscribe to the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) free animal disease alerts service for the latest information on updated risk levels, guidance and new cases in Great Britain regardless of whether they keep birds. Any bird keepers whose premises are directly affected by avian influenza will receive support from the APHA, including compensation for any healthy birds culled by HM Government for disease control purposes. In addition, a range of grants have been made available to poultry keepers through the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway to improve biosecurity on poultry premises and support the welfare of birds.There are numerous support networks that poultry farmers can contact for help including the rural services helpline. Defra work in partnership with Farming Help organisations to support their work to help the farming community through challenging times.
Innovation and Technology, what information his Department holds on the proportion of 6G mast hardware that is expected to be produced in the UK; and what steps his Department is taking to support UK-based 6G mast hardware manufacturers.
The development of 6G technology is still in its early stages and as a result DSIT does not yet hold any information on the proportion of 6G mast hardware that is expected to be produced in the UK.The Government is actively working with industry through R&D programmes on advanced connectivity to support companies developing technologies in the UK that could form part of 6G. DSIT is also working closely with the Department of Business and Trade to understand the supply chain of critical technologies, like 5G and in time 6G.
What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of allowing tenanted pubs in England and Wales to purchase beer directly from small producers.
The government is currently completing an exercise to understand whether there are any barriers to market for small brewers. This exercise covers all pub models. Interested parties can contact beermarketreview@businessandtrade.gov.uk.The government is separately conducting a statutory review into the operation of Pubs Code and the performance of the Pubs Code Adjudicator. Interested parties can submit their views to the call for inputs until 14 August 2025. The Pubs Code applies to large pub-owning businesses with 500 or more tied pubs in England and Wales, covering around 8,000 pubs.
Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54984 to Government Departments: Catering, what steps he is taking to provide (a) specific support schemes and (b) funding opportunities to farmers in Fylde and Lancashire to help them meet procurement standards.
Our commitment to farmers and growers remains steadfast, which is why we want our farmers to have the chance to get a fair share of the £5 billion pounds a year spent on public-sector food and catering contracts, including for farmers in Fylde and Lancashire.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help improve communication with (a) bird keepers and (b) the public during avian influenza outbreaks.
Supporting bird keepers, the public and conservation bodies to manage and prepare for avian influenza continues to be one of Defra’s main priorities. Defra and the Devolved Governments have several lines of communication to bird keepers and the public. Each administration has a live avian influenza page which is updated regularly with the most recent information. Biosecurity guidance and a biosecurity self-assessment checklist have also been published by each of the UK administrations to assist all bird keepers in instigating and maintaining good biosecurity, including mandatory measures when an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) is in force. We also issue national, local and trade press releases to make sure the latest information is communicated through the media. We regularly post the latest advice, key messages, and situational updates on both Defra and APHA social media channels. Through our work with a wide range of industry groups, this vital information is also distributed out to their members. All bird keepers in Great Britain must now register their poultry and other captive birds (with the exception of certain psittacines and passerines), even if only kept as pets. Registered keepers will receive regular updates and guidance to help protect their birds from avian influenza. The new registration requirements which came into force in Autumn 2024 will enable Government to communicate with bird keepers quickly, to mitigate the risk of further disease spread. In addition, anyone can subscribe to the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) free animal disease alerts service for the latest information on updated risk levels, guidance and new cases in Great Britain regardless of whether they keep birds. Any bird keepers whose premises are directly affected by avian influenza will receive support from the APHA, including compensation for any healthy birds culled by HM Government for disease control purposes. In addition, a range of grants have been made available to poultry keepers through the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway to improve biosecurity on poultry premises and support the welfare of birds.There are numerous support networks that poultry farmers can contact for help including the rural services helpline. Defra work in partnership with Farming Help organisations to support their work to help the farming community through challenging times.
Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of using of AI to support its processes for means testing for the winter fuel payment.
The Government wants to ensure a wider range of pensioners in England and Wales receive Winter Fuel Payment in future, while recognising public finance constraints and the fact that making payments to the highest income pensioners is hard to justify. From winter 2025-26, the majority of pensioners in England and Wales – around 9 million individuals - will benefit from Winter Fuel Payments and so ensure it is better targeted than the previous near-universal payment. Winter Fuel Payments are £200 for a household with someone of State Pension age and £300 for a household with someone aged 80 or over. They will be paid automatically to anyone who has not opted out. Individuals with a taxable income above £35,000 a year will have any WFP recouped via HMRC. These changes save £450m a year up to 2030/31, compared to paying Winter Fuel Payments universally in England and Wales. The existing Digital Winter Fuel service utilises clear policy rules that are already automated within the service to determine eligibility. The Department considers where Artificial Intelligence would be of benefit for specific use cases and in this instance is not applicable.
Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54984 to Government Departments: Catering, whether he has made an assessment of the merits of (a) an annual report and (b) a public tracking system to provide transparency on how much local produce is being procured from (i) Lancashire and (ii) other regions by public sector bodies.
The Government is open to considering all lawful means of achieving its ambition that half of all food purchased across the public sector should be locally produced or certified to higher environmental standards. This could include approaches designed to improve transparency in the way procurement is carried out.