Written questions by Snowden.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the removal of the 10% wear and tear allowance on the number of new childminders entering the profession.

The department is taking a range of measures to support the financial sustainability of childminding businesses and other early years providers. From April 2026, local authorities will be required to pass at least 97% of their funding directly to providers (an increase from 96%). We are also working with local authorities and others to ensure that childminders and other early years providers can be paid monthly for the funded hours they provide, making their income more stable. Furthermore, from 1 November 2024, the government introduced new flexibilities to help childminders join and stay in the profession, supporting the government’s commitment to roll out expanded childcare entitlements and give children the best start in life.Under HMRC’s ‘Making Tax Digital’ system, childminders can still claim tax relief for things they buy, repair, or replace for their business, such as furniture, equipment, and household items. This change standardises the way that sole traders record and claim business expenses.We are however aware of the strength of feeling amongst childminders and those who work with them. We have been talking regularly to Coram Pacey, HMRC and others to understand the issue, the effect that it is having on the childminding sector and to make sure that the concerns of childminders are clearly understood. The department emphasises its strong support for childminders, who continue to provide high quality and flexible early education, and do so in a way that families across the country greatly value.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the company behind the Morgan windfarm pulling out of the project on the proposed Morgan and Morecambe cabling corridor.

The planning application for the Morgan and Morecambe Offshore Wind Farm Transmission Assets is a live case. The government is unable to discuss matters relating to live planning applications. The UK is one of the most successful and attractive markets for offshore wind in the world and has seen £62 billion of private investment in clean energy industries since July 2024

What guidance her Department issues to local authorities, police forces and licensed premises on the operation of Pubwatch schemes.

Pubwatch schemes are voluntary, licensee-led local partnerships that operate independently of Government. Advice and practical resources for such schemes are provided by the National Pubwatch charity, which supports local groups across the country.Separately, the Home Secretary issues statutory section 182 guidance under the Licensing Act 2003 to licensing authorities in England and Wales on the discharge of their functions. Licensing authorities must have regard to this guidance, which supports partnership working between licensing authorities, the police and industry to promote the four licensing objectives.The section 182 guidance does not set operational requirements for Pubwatch schemes but does recognise and support industry led schemes such as Pubwatch as examples of good practice in promoting safer, well run licensed premises.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2026 to Question 105764 on Child Benefit: Maladministration, and with reference to the Data Protection Impact Assessment 15489, if she will make an assessment of why issues were not identified earlier, in the context of page 10 of the DPIA stating that weekly meetings would take place to identify issues.

Of the 23,794 Child Benefit enquires opened between August and October 2025 to confirm claimant’s residency status, 346 (1.5%) were issued to Northern Ireland claimants.HMRC does not hold a breakdown of the categories of error and fraud for those customers that were found to be non-compliant.As HMRC has explained, when issues were identified it took swift action to resolve the position for affected customers and HMRC has also strengthened the process and safeguards going forward for this exercise.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2026 to Question 104272 on Child Benefit, how many and what proportion of the 23,794 cases relate to families in Northern Ireland.

Of the 23,794 Child Benefit enquires opened between August and October 2025 to confirm claimant’s residency status, 346 (1.5%) were issued to Northern Ireland claimants.HMRC does not hold a breakdown of the categories of error and fraud for those customers that were found to be non-compliant.As HMRC has explained, when issues were identified it took swift action to resolve the position for affected customers and HMRC has also strengthened the process and safeguards going forward for this exercise.

How much funding has been allocated to the Defence Digital and Cyber Bursary scheme since its inception; and what proportion of that funding has been spent to date.

To date, £2 million has been allocated to this scheme, of which £1.2 million has already been spent. A further £0.8 million is scheduled to be released within the next two weeks to support the latest intake.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2026 to Question 104272 on Child Benefit, how many and what proportion of the 1,109 cases due to (a) fraud, (b) claimant error and (c) official error.

Of the 23,794 Child Benefit enquires opened between August and October 2025 to confirm claimant’s residency status, 346 (1.5%) were issued to Northern Ireland claimants.HMRC does not hold a breakdown of the categories of error and fraud for those customers that were found to be non-compliant.As HMRC has explained, when issues were identified it took swift action to resolve the position for affected customers and HMRC has also strengthened the process and safeguards going forward for this exercise.

How many students have enrolled in the Defence Digital and Cyber Bursary scheme in each academic year since it was launched; and how many of those students are based in Lancashire.

285 new students have enrolled in the latest cohort, taking the total number of students to 500. This follows an announcement in October 2025, where the Ministry of Defence expanded the scheme to 500 fully funded places for college-age students across Lancashire. This information is provided below: CohortAcademic YearIntakeStatusCohort 12024-25100GraduatedCohort 22025-26115Year 13 studentsCohort 32025-26285Year 12 students and latest cohort All students are based in Lancashire, through partnerships with Digital Skills for Defence (DS4D) and the Lancashire Skills and Employment Hub.

What recent assessment he has made of trends in the number and proportion of patients waiting 12 hours or more in Emergency Departments in England; and how Blackpool Victoria Hospital compares with the national average.

The Government recognises that urgent and emergency care performance has fallen short in recent years. We are committed to restoring accident and emergency waiting times to the NHS Constitutional standard.Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 sets out clear actions to deliver improvements and make services better every day. The plan commits to reducing the number of patients waiting over 12 hours for admission or discharge to less than 10% of the time. This is supported by almost £450 million of capital investment for Same Day Emergency Care, Mental Health Crisis Assessment Centres, and new ambulances, avoiding unnecessary admissions to hospital and supporting the faster diagnosis, treatment, and discharge for patients.The table attached sets out the proportions of patients waiting over 12 hours for admission or discharged for England and the Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, of which Blackpool Victoria Hospital is the only type 1 accident and emergency provider.

What guidance his Department provides to NHS Trusts on the use of ward-wide audible alarm systems in maternity wards.

Guidance is provided to National Health Service trusts on alarms in Health Building Note (HBN) 09-02: Maternity care facilities, available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/HBN_09-02_Final.pdfThis document includes the requirement for all birthing rooms and maternity beds to have both a nurse call bell for patient use and a staff emergency call bell for staff use in the case of an emergency. Any new builds, large renovations or refurbishments are subject to adhering to HBN guidance. NHS England will be updating the HBN later this year.

How many and what proportion of families, who had their child benefit reinstated following the review into those who were suspended during the period of data-sharing between HMRC and the Home Office, were found to be eligible as a result of PAYE checks.

As HMRC informed the Treasury Select Committee in its letter dated 14 November 2025, it is unable to completely disaggregate the number of cases where eligibility was confirmed via a subsequent PAYE check from those where evidence was provided by the customer.The information from the pilot remains HMRC’s best assessment of the effectiveness of the activity using international travel data to reduce error and fraud.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Property Redress Scheme in providing impartial and evidence-based dispute resolution for leaseholders and tenants.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Question UIN 76613 and Question UIN 76612 on 16 October 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the ability of people to sell tenanted properties in the case of inheritance.

My Department has made no such assessment.The Renters’ Rights Act introduces a new ground for landlords who wish to sell their property, Ground 1A. This enables landlords to evict a tenant when they wish to sell their property if it is not possible or appropriate to sell with a sitting tenant.Some landlords may find it quicker and easier to sell with sitting tenants. We encourage them to do so when the circumstances are right.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of restrictions on local councillors who are in debt to the authority they are a member of.

Provisions on the declaration and registration of councillor interests restrict them from participating in decisions where they may have a conflict of interest. Participating in a decision where there is a conflict of interest may be a breach of codes of conduct and potentially a criminal offence.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Bereavement Support Payment for non-married widows and widowers.

Bereavement Support Payment is currently available to those who are married, in a cohabiting relationship with dependent children, or in a civil partnership. A marriage or civil partnership is a legal contract associated with certain rights, including entitlement to benefits derived from another person's National Insurance contributions such as Bereavement Support Payment. The Government keeps the eligibility of all benefits including Bereavement Support Payments, under review.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of current obligations of tech companies to communicate to customers about how their data will be used.

The UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) impose obligations on tech companies to process customers’ personal data lawfully, fairly, transparently and securely, unless certain limited exemptions apply. Organisations must only process personal data where there are legitimate grounds to do so, and be clear with people about how and why their data is being used, such as through privacy notices.The data protection legislation is monitored and enforced independently of Government by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO has published guidance on transparency requirements here: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/advice-and-services/audits/data-protection-audit-framework/toolkits/accountability/transparency/.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of directors being on the boards of housing developers and building management companies simultaneously on conflicts of interest.

The Companies Act 2006 sets out the rules around conflicts of interests for the directors of boards.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of water bills in Fylde constituency since July 2024.

It is important that customers get value for money from their water bills and that support is available for those who need it. I meet water companies frequently to discuss a range of issues, including customer bills. As the independent economic regulator, it is Ofwat’s responsibility to scrutinise water company business plans and ensure the prices water companies charge their customers are fair and proportionate. It does this through its Price Review, every five years. Ofwat published the results of the 2024 Price Review in December 2024, this sets out company expenditure and customer bills for the next five years, up to 2030. These price controls came into effect on 01 April 2025. Price Review 2024 will deliver substantial improvements for customers and the environment through a £104 billion upgrade for the water sector - the highest level of investment in the water sector since privatisation. The average annual bill rise over the next 5 years will be £31 (or 36%). This will vary across households depending on their circumstances. Information on bills for each water company is available on Ofwat’s website. All water companies have measures in place for customers who struggle to pay for their water and wastewater services, such as WaterSure, social tariffs, payment breaks and holidays, and debt management support. Moreover, Government expects industry to keep the current support schemes under review to ensure that vulnerable customers are supported. The Government has committed to reforming the WaterSure support scheme which supports low-income households with high essential water use due to having a medical condition or three or more children living at home and has consulted on extending the list of qualifying benefits to include non-means tested disability benefits. This proposal is designed to provide better support for low-income households where a medical condition leads to high essential water use. The proposed reforms would also increase support for existing households and update the regulations to reflect best practice adopted across the water sector. The department will publish the response to the consultation in the coming months. Bill increases are necessary to make up for years of under-investment and make sure water companies can deliver a good service to customers and protect the environment. The Government is also bringing forward root and branch reform to secure better outcomes for billpayers and restore trust and accountability. This includes the creation of a powerful new consolidated regulator, which will work to ensure water company bills are fair and affordable for customers. These reforms are detailed in the Government’s Water White Paper.

What steps she is taking to ensure qualified drivers are aware of changes to the Highway Code.

Injuries and fatalities from road collisions caused by driving are unacceptable, and this Government will work hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users. That is why on 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022, the department ran large- scale THINK! advertising campaigns to raise awareness of the changes. Via the THINK! campaign, we are also running year-round radio filler adverts encouraging compliance with the guidance to improve safety for those walking, cycling and horse riding. We will also continue to promote the changes via THINK! and Department for Transport social media channels, as well as through partner organisations. However, as set out in the strategy, more work is needed to continue embedding these changes and overall awareness of the Highway Code. We are considering options in this area, and further details will be shared in due course. As our road environment and technologies evolve, providing education for all road users throughout their lifetime is vital to improving road safety. As announced in the strategy to support a Lifelong Learning approach in the UK, the government will publish for the first time national guidance on the development and delivery of road safety education, training and publicity. Alongside this, the government will publish a manual to support the implementation of a Lifelong Learning approach for road safety.

What steps she is taking to help increase the availability of driving tests at Blackpool test centre.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times. The agency is intensifying its efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access to driving tests that will break down barriers to opportunity as part of the government’s Plan for Change.In the coming months, DVSA will:Change the booking service to allow only learner car drivers to book and manage their testsIntroduce a limit on the number of times a learner car driver can move or swap a test to twice and also limit the area they can move a test to once booked.Make use of MOD driving examiners for up to 12 months to help tackle driving test waiting times.DVSA is continuing with recruitment campaigns across the country, including for Blackpool driving test centre, to provide as many tests as possible. Two new entrant driving examiners will be placed on a training course as soon as possible. Upon successful completion of training, this will increase the number of driving examiners at Blackpool driving test centre from seven to nine. A full-time driving examiner can be expected to add approximately 1,200 tests per year to the booking system.