Written questions by Snowden.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of obesity-related illnesses on health services in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire.

The prevention of ill health is a clear priority for the Government and the cornerstone of this is supporting children to live healthier lives. Officials in the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) Northwest regional team prioritise tackling obesity and support children and young people to lead a healthier lifestyle. The Government has: laid secondary legislation to restrict advertisements of less healthy food and drink to children on TV and online from 1 October 2025; announced changes to the planning framework for fast food outlets near schools; and is committed to banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years old.Examples of national schemes in Lancashire include: supporting weight management services to help families living with obesity, including the CHANGE weight management service in Fylde; Diabetes and Complications of Excessive Weight Service in NHS England’s Royal Preston Hospital, using a holistic approach to treating conditions related to obesity in children and young people; and 14 schools offering school breakfast clubs, as part of the Department for Education’s early adaptors programme, with the aim of providing healthy, varied and nutritious breakfasts.In March 2023, Lancashire County Council published a report on creating healthier weight environments in Lancashire and subsequently established Healthy Hearts as one of three priorities to narrow the gap in Healthy Life Expectancy between local areas by 2030. The report is available at the following link:https://foodactive.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Creating-Healthier-Weight-Environments-in-Lancashire-Mar23_Final.pdfA two-year programme of work is being established to strengthen existing activities underway across the county and contribute to improving the food environment.

What steps her Department is taking to help encourage young people to learn to play a musical instrument.

This government believes that music is an essential part of the well-rounded and enriching education that every child deserves. That is why music is included in the national curriculum for all students aged 5 to 14 who attend maintained schools.To support the delivery of music education, the government provides annual funding of £79 million for the Music Hubs programme. Music Hubs offer a range of services, including musical instrument tuition, instrument loaning, and whole-class ensemble teaching.To widen access to musical instruments, the government has invested £25 million in capital funding for musical instruments, equipment and technology. This funding enables Music Hubs to better cater to the needs of the children and young people they work with.Additionally, the government has invested £2 million to support the Music Opportunities Pilot. This pilot programme aims to help disadvantaged children and young people, as well as those with special eductional needs and disabilities, learn how to play an instrument of their choice or learn to sing to a high standard.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that young people can access the countryside.

We are currently providing £4.45 million funding to deliver a second phase of Generation Green, to help more disadvantaged children and young people experience the benefits of the great outdoors. This builds on the legacy of the successful first phase of the Generation Green programme. Although this funding will end at the end of March 2025, we will continue to seek opportunities to help young people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, access the countryside. The DfE Sustainability and Climate Change Unit and the Defra Access to Nature teams are working collaboratively to align policy development on access to nature and opportunities for children and young people to engage with nature, alongside enhancing education and skills. Together we want to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to experience and learn about nature, in order to behave responsively, protect and enhance it, whilst also supporting building important skills.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2024 to Question 20865 on Wind Power: Fylde, what assessment he has made of the (a) capacity of the National Grid connection at Penwortham and (b) sufficiency of that connection to receive additional power from the proposed new connections from the Morgan & Morecambe off-shore windfarms.

The National Energy System Operator (NESO) considered the onshore and offshore network as a whole when conducting the assessment of options to connect the Morgan and Morecambe offshore wind projects to the onshore grid as part of its Holistic Network Design (HND). The assessment considered factors including substation capacity and community and environmental impacts of substation extension, if required to support offshore connections.

What his Department’s policy is on energy alternatives to wind power.

Whilst all routes to a Clean Power system will require mass deployment of wind power, we recognise that to achieve a clean, affordable and secure system we will need a mix of generation technologies. The Government is supporting the development and deployment of many other renewable generation technologies, including solar, biomass, tidal and geothermal. It is also supporting new nuclear, and low carbon dispatchable technologies such as hydrogen to power and power with carbon capture, usage and storage.

Whether protections exist to prevent energy companies from selling windfarm projects once planning permission is received.

It is a commercial matter for energy companies if they decide to sell a project, in whole or in part, and at what point in the project’s lifecycle.

How much compensation was paid to windfarm operators because they were instructed to stop operating due to high winds in the last financial year.

The Department does not hold this information. The National Energy System Operator (NESO) is responsible for managing constraints and publishes yearly breakdowns by cost and volume, which can be found here: Constraint Breakdown Costs and Volume | National Energy System Operator. Data is not available on the split of costs between different types of generators. Increasing the capacity of Great Britain’s electricity network is essential for reducing curtailment and constraint payments. This is why the Government is working to accelerate the build of new network infrastructure, so more cheap, homegrown energy can power up our homes and businesses.

What funding her Department is providing for public transport projects in Fylde.

The government is committed to delivering the better, more reliable bus services that passengers deserve. In the Budget the government confirmed investment of over £1 billion to support and improve bus services and keep fares affordable. Lancashire County Council has been allocated over £27 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services.All future funding for buses will be considered as part of the upcoming multi-year spending review. We have also committed to reforming bus funding to give local leaders more control and flexibility to allow them to plan ahead to deliver their local transport priorities.Lancashire County Council will also receive a share of the £650 million-plus funding for local transport announced in the Budget. This funding aims to support everyday journeys and improve transport connections in our towns, villages, and rural areas, as well as in our major cities.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of an increase in defence spending on investment in Fylde constituency.

The increase in defence spending will fund critical investments in areas like autonomous systems, AI, cyber, rebuilding stockpiles and munition reserves, and therefore will support the security and resilience of the whole of the UK, including Fylde. The full details will be set out in the Strategic Defence Review.

Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department offers to household waste recovery firms in Fylde constituency.

We take household waste recovery firms to mean private waste collectors. We are working to support private waste collectors in England ahead of the upcoming Simpler Recycling reforms, which will ensure that across England, people will be able to recycle the same materials, whether at home, work or school. Guidance has been published to assist local authorities, other waste collectors and workplaces in implementing the new requirements: Paper and card guidanceHousehold waste services guidanceWorkplace recycling guidance Defra has launched a Simpler Recycling Communications Toolkit to help local authorities and private waste collectors inform their business and non-domestic customers about the required changes. We are continuing to engage with stakeholders to support successful delivery of the reforms, in the lead up and following the 31 March 2025 implementation date for workplaces, and 31 March 2026 for households.

If he will take step to help prevent non-crown Post Office closures in Fylde.

Government protects the sustainability of the branch network by providing funding on the basis that Post Office meets minimum access criteria for example including in Fylde, that across the country, 99% of the population live within three miles of their nearest Post Office. Government works to ensure Post Office Limited maintains a minimum number of branches and a geographical spread of branches in line with the published access criteria. Along with the annual £50 million subsidy, we have provided a further £37.5 million in December last year to safeguard services in the uncommercial parts of the network.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of energy costs on business in Fylde.

Wholesale energy costs have decreased for non-domestic consumers since the global energy crisis, but we recognise that some businesses may be struggling to pay their bills. The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently. In the short-term, the Government wants to provide businesses with better protection from being locked into unfair and expensive energy contracts, and more redress when they have a complaint. Last year, the Government launched a consultation on introducing regulation of Third-Party Intermediaries (TPIs), such as energy brokers. This is aimed at enhancing consumer protections, particularly for non-domestic consumers. The consultation has now closed, and a Government response will follow in due course once all feedback has been reviewed. Business owners struggling to pay their bills should contact their supplier to discuss their options, including ‘blend and extend’ contracts, where the higher unit rate is blended with a new lower rate, spreading the cost over the course of a long contract.

What steps she is taking to help ensure the safety of teachers and pupils in schools in Fylde constituency.

Violent incidents in schools are rare, but all schools should be places of safety and learning. Education settings are designed to be secure environments with robust safeguarding frameworks. They should have policies on security measures, supported by clear guidance to develop plans for deterring attacks, keeping learners safe and implementing lockdowns when necessary.The department has a tested incident response mechanism that allows us to support the education sector if impacted directly or indirectly by a major incident. Our primary goal is to safeguard the health and safety of children, young people and staff while minimising disruptions to education. In addition, the department has published comprehensive guidance and high-quality resources to help teachers and learners prepare for and respond to counter terrorism incidents and attacks. These resources can be found here: https://www.protectuk.police.uk/catalogue/EducationLearningandGuidance.We also currently provide specialist pupil support in serious violence hotspots in England. Support, attend, fulfil, exceed taskforces are school-led partnerships that develop a targeted, local response to serious violence in ten areas. Interventions delivered include mentoring, social skills training and cognitive behavioural approaches. In alternative provision (AP) settings, alternative provision specialist taskforces are joined up, multi-disciplinary teams, which include youth workers, family workers and careers workers, embedded within the largest AP schools in 22 areas.

What steps he is taking to support high street businesses in Fylde.

Revitalising our high streets is a priority for this government. We are delivering across government to create better conditions for high street businesses to thrive. The new Crime and Policing Bill will give better protection for businesses and retail workers, including those in Fylde, against assault and theft. We have introduced High Street Rental Auction powers for local authorities and before Christmas we opened the 100th Banking Hub – providing essential banking services for businesses and high street users. At the Budget the Chancellor announced plans to work with industry to design a new business rates system.Our Small Business Strategy, to be published later this year, will set out this Government’s plan for further supporting small businesses across key areas, including on the high street.Within Fylde constituency, Kirkham is benefitting from £6.29m from the Future High Street Fund and £3.27m from High Street Heritage Action Zone funding. This will help Kirkham become a more vibrant destination through town centre regeneration, bringing benefits to businesses and residents in Fylde.

If he will take steps to reduce employment regulations for businesses in Fylde.

The Plan to Make Work Pay is central to our Plan for Change to grow the economy, raise living standards and create opportunities for all. It will tackle low pay, poor working conditions and poor job security, creating long-term growth and investment to support businesses. We must ensure that our Plan works for all businesses. Insights gained from our ongoing engagement with businesses has been invaluable in developing proportionate, effective policy. Make Work Pay will increase workforce productivity and ensure a level playing field, so businesses trying to do the right thing, like those in Fylde, are not undercut.

What steps he is taking to help reduce employment costs for businesses in Fylde.

The Plan to Make Work Pay is central to our Plan for Change to grow the economy, raise living standards and create opportunities for all. It will tackle low pay, poor working conditions and poor job security, creating long-term growth and investment to support businesses. We must ensure that our Plan works for all businesses. Insights gained from our ongoing engagement with businesses has been invaluable in developing proportionate, effective policy. Make Work Pay will increase workforce productivity and ensure a level playing field, so businesses trying to do the right thing, like those in Fylde, are not undercut.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the use of mobile phones in schools on recent trends in the levels of pupil attainment in Fylde constituency.

Schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime, as set out in the ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance 2024.We expect all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.The department does not centrally collect behaviour data from schools or individual constituencies. The latest results of the annual National Behaviour Survey is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6628dd9bdb4b9f0448a7e584/National_behaviour_survey_academic_year_2022_to_2023.pdf.

How many schools left the breakfast club early adopters scheme due to funding constraints in Fylde constituency prior to 24 February 2025.

This government is clear on the impact that breakfast clubs can have to support children to arrive at school ready to learn. That is why we committed to introducing free breakfast clubs in every state-funded school with primary aged pupils. The early adopter scheme has not yet started. We were delighted that over 3,000 schools applied to be early adopters. The list of the 750 schools selected was published on 24 February. Early adopters will start delivering from the summer term, meaning we are bringing change now for pupils and parents in every corner of the country.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce pupil absenteeism in Fylde constituency.

Tackling absence is at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity in all areas. If children are not in school, it does not matter how effective or well-supported teaching and learning is, they will not benefit. Thanks to the hard work of parents and teachers there has been progress, but levels of absenteeism remain higher than they were prior to the pandemic.The department has set out clear expectations of all local authorities and schools in the ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance, which was made statutory in August 2024. This guidance can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66bf300da44f1c4c23e5bd1b/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance_-_August_2024.pdf.The guidance promotes a 'support first' approach and sets out clear expectations on how schools, trusts, local authorities and wider services should work together and with families to address attendance barriers and provide the right support, including where a pupil is not attending due to special educational needs.The department has also established 31 attendance hubs that offer their support to around 2000 schools, including secondaries. Hubs are established and led by senior leaders in schools with strong attendance practice. The meetings led by these hubs are intended to give senior leaders in other schools a forum to discuss and share effective attendance practice. Whilst we do not hold numbers at a constituency level, 23 schools in Blackpool, Lancashire and surrounding areas have been offered the support of an attendance hub.Last year, the department published an attendance toolkit, bringing together effective practice from across the hubs. This toolkit gives schools practical advice on how to diagnose and target their attendance problem and how to effectively implement great practice.We are also strengthening our tools for faster and more effective school improvement by launching the new regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams. Supported by over £20 million, these teams will offer both mandatory targeted intervention for schools identified by Ofsted as needing to improve and a universal service, acting as a catalyst for a self-improving system for all schools. The RISE teams are now beginning work with the first group of schools eligible for the targeted, bespoke service, including support for attendance as necessary. Improving school attendance is a national priority for RISE teams.Alongside hub lead schools and RISE advisers, the department is delivering a programme of regional attendance conferences across England, giving secondary school leaders and senior attendance champions the chance to hear directly from hubs and other practitioners on improving attendance. The conference in the North West will be held on 24 March.Every state school in England, including in Fylde constituency, is required to share their attendance data with the department. Schools can access this data through a secure, interactive dashboard, allowing them to target attendance interventions more effectively.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2025 to Question 31587 on Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme: Lancashire, which places of worship received funding in Fylde constituency; and what the awards were for.

In the Fylde constituency, 8 listed places of worship to a total value of £68,994.54 have received awards through the grant scheme. These were Fairhaven United Reformed Church receiving £1,759.30; Roman Catholic Church of St Anne receiving £9,092.24, Well Baptist Church receiving £15,585.62, St Anne’s Church Poulton Le Fylde receiving £6,177.46; Lytham Methodist Church receiving £793.13; St Anne Church receiving £23,057.48, St Nicholas Church Wrea Green receiving £2,051.60 and St John The Evangelist receiving £10,477.71.