Every parliamentary written question tabled by Andrew Snowden this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 541–560 of 2,133 · this parliament
What discussions his Department has had with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges on overseas doctors competing for UK training posts.
The Department has regular discussions with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges about a range of issues, including recruitment to foundation and specialty training posts.
What assessment she has made of the adequacy of exam support for students with dyslexia.
I refer the hon. Member for Fylde to the answer of 21 November 2025 to Question 90919.
What assessment he has made of recent trends in the length of NHS waiting lists in (i) Fylde and (ii) Lancashire.
We are clear that the extent of waits for treatment is unacceptable, and cutting waiting lists is a key priority for the Government. We have committed to returning by March 2029 to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment.We are committed to transforming elective services to ensure patients get timely access to the care they need. This includes investing £6 billion of additional capital investment over five years for diagnostic, elective, and urgent and emergency capacity in the NHS.Between July 2024 and June 2025, we delivered 5.2 million additional appointments compared to the previous year, more than double our pledge of two million. This marks a vital first step towards delivering the constitutional standard.We promised change, and we have made good progress. As of the end of September 2025, 61.8% of pathways on the waiting list are within 18 weeks, an improvement of 3.3% since September 2024, and the number of waits over 18 weeks has reduced by almost 320,000 over the same period.Waiting list data is not available by constituency. The NHS trust that covers the Fylde constituency is the Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. As of the end of September 2025, the waiting list at this trust stood at 42,630, and 56.1% of these pathways were within 18 weeks, an improvement of 0.4% since the start of July 2024, when it was 55.7%.As of the end of September 2025, the waiting list at the NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board stood at 248,818, 61.6% of which were within 18 weeks, an improvement of 2.5% since the start of July 2024, when it was 59.1%.
Whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that UK medical graduates are prioritised for training posts in the National Health Service.
As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, published on 3 July, we will work across the Government to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period for specialty training. We will set out next steps in due course.NHS England has also taken steps to tackle competition for speciality training places this year by changing General Medical Council registration requirements and limiting the number of applications that can be submitted by individuals.
What assessment his Department has made of the number of medical graduates who have been unable to secure training scheme posts in the last three years.
Upon entering the National Health Service after graduation, medical students enter a two-year period of foundation programme placements. The United Kingdom Foundation Programme Office has successfully allocated foundation programme places to all eligible applicants in each of the past three years. These total 10,634 applicants for the 2025 programme, 9,702 for the 2024 programme, and 8,655 in 2023.Upon successful completion of the foundation programme most doctors choose to apply for speciality training programmes. Competition for speciality training posts has grown in recent years, in part due to the introduction of health and care visas in 2020, as well as the decision to remove the Resident Labour Market Test for doctors in 2020 which has meant that more international medical graduates are applying for speciality training places, increasing the number of candidates for roles.The table below presents the number of specialist training program applicants and the number of available posts in England by round. The difference between these two numbers is not exactly the number of candidates unable to secure a position as some applicants may not meet the thresholds set for recruitment to specialty training and some may be offered a specialty training post but for a range of reasons do not take up that position.Round OneRound TwoEntry yearUnique ApplicantsAvailable PostsUnique ApplicantsAvailable Posts202320,2979,2656,0813,415202426,2039,3317,1793,412202533,8709,4798,4813,354Source: NHS England Medical Specialty Programme Applications Data.Round one of the medical specialty application process includes applications to first year specialty training and core training programmes, often referred to as ST1 and CT1 respectively, and some ‘higher’ medical specialty training programmes, usually at year three, often referred to as ST3. Round two is for entry to most ‘higher’ medical specialty training programmes, ST3 or ST4. There will be a limited number of doctors who apply in a year to both rounds one and two.The 10-Year Health Plan set out that 1,000 more specialty training places would be created over the next three years.On 8 December, the Government put an offer in writing to the British Medical Association Resident Doctors Committee which would have put in place emergency legislation in the new year which would prioritise UK and Republic of Ireland medical graduates for foundation training, and prioritise UK and Republic of Ireland medical graduates and doctors who have worked in the NHS for a significant period of time for specialty training. This would have applied for current applicants for training posts starting in 2026, and every year after that.The British Medical Association has rejected the Government's offer and the Government will consider its next steps.
Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's press notice entitled Government steps in to build first major reservoirs in 30 years, published on 29 May 2025. what progress she has made on building (a) nine new reservoirs and (b) upgrading water infrastructure to reduce leakage.
The Price Review 2024 will deliver substantial, lasting, improvements through a £104bn upgrade for the water sector. The highest level of investment in the water sector since privatisation, this investment will be crucial to deliver the improvements required. The Government’s Water Delivery Taskforce is working across Government, the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) and water industry stakeholders to deliver planned water infrastructure that is essential to growth. Water companies are aiming to deliver approximately 10.4 million smart meters over 2025-30. The rollout will enable water companies to reduce leakage, helping them meet their commitment to deliver a 50% reduction in leakage from 2017-2018 levels by 2050 and reduce overall water consumption.
Pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2025 to Question 88938 on Prime Minister: Climate Change Convention, how many miles have been carbon offset in each of the last 12 months.
Prime Ministerial flights are carbon offset where that is possible.
What the expected remit, budget, and governance arrangements of the UK Maritime Innovation Hub are.
The UK Maritime Innovation Hub will serve as a globally leading unit, encouraging innovation and supporting economic growth by helping innovators navigate the UK’s regulatory landscape. It will work collaboratively with classification societies and relevant UK regulators to facilitate innovation in the maritime sector, including initiatives for the trial and safe use of future fuels and other novel technologies. Funding for the Innovation Hub from 2026/27 onwards is subject to the Department for Transport's Business Planning process. The UK Maritime Innovation Hub will be within scope of the Department for Transport and Maritime and Coastguard Agency's existing Governance arrangements, with the necessary system of controls in place to monitor the performance of the Hub, ensuring it delivers value for money for taxpayers.
With reference to the reforms announced in the Department for Education's press release entitled Schools to cut bills with Great British Energy solar panels, published on 17 November 2025, what is the definition of home grown in the context of imported components for solar panels.
‘Homegrown’ ‘power refers to schools generating their own electricity from solar panel installations on their own buildings. Panels themselves are procured with support from Crown Commercial Services under strict controls and may include components sourced outside the UK. All contracts issued under this schools and solar initiative comply with UK procurement rules.
What steps she is taking to ensure the safety of electric vehicles.
Road vehicles must meet a broad range of rigorous safety regulations and obtain approval before they can be registered for use on UK roads. Recognising the global nature of the automotive industry, these regulations are generally developed within the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), in which the UK is an active member. The UNECE regulations include specific and robust requirements to safeguard against the novel risks and potential concerns associated with electric vehicles.
Food and Rural Affairs, how many vehicles were (a) seized and (b) crushed for fly-tipping offences in (i) Fylde, (ii) Lancashire, and (iii) England in the last 12 months.
Local authorities in England are required to report fly-tipping enforcement actions, including vehicles seized, to Defra, which are published annually here. This data is not available at a constituency level and does not include information on what happened to the vehicle after it was seized. Data for the 2024/25 reporting year is still being collected. In the last 12 months no vehicles have been seized in relation to waste crime offences by the Environment Agency within Fylde or Lancashire. The last vehicle seizure in Lancashire was October 2024.
Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to provide an answer to Question 87476 on Pets: Shops.
A response was published to Question 87476 on Tuesday 18 November here: PQ 87476.
What assessment her Department has made of the potential risks cryptocurrency market volatility poses to financial stability.
The Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) is responsible for identifying and monitoring risks to UK financial stability. The FPC’s latest Record (October 2025) sets out its views on the financial stability outlook, including its assessment of market related risks. The government intends to bring forward legislation this year to create a comprehensive financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets in the UK. The UK also continues to play an active role internationally on work to respond to the global challenges and opportunities posed by digital asset innovation, including potential risks to financial stability, through fora such as the Financial Stability Board.
Whether the her Department will review the tax treatment of capital gains on cryptocurrency transactions to ensure clarity and compliance.
The government recognises the significant potential for cryptoassets and blockchain technologies to drive economic growth in the UK and increase efficiencies across financial markets. We are committed to making the UK a world leading destination for cryptoassets. Noting the novel and evolving nature of cryptoassets, it is right that the government keeps their tax treatment under review.
What assessment has been made of police and enforcement capacity to investigate cryptocurrency-related crimes, including scams, ransomware payments, and illicit trading platforms.
The UK government has strengthened UK policing capabilities to tackle cryptocurrency-related crime effectively.Through the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (2023), law enforcement agencies (LEAs) gained new powers to seize illicit cryptoassets. As set out in the UK’s National Risk Assessment (NRA) of Money Laundering (ML) and Terrorist Financing (TF) 20251, this is supported by the recruitment of 475 new financial investigators across UK law enforcement, investment in advanced crypto forensic tracing technologies for LEAs, provision of specialist training for officers in crypto investigations and the creation of public-private operational crypto partnerships. Together, these measures enhance the UK’s ability to investigate cryptoasset crimes of all types and confiscate criminal proceeds.This year LEAs also received £3.2m of additional funding through the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS) Top Slice grant to tackle crypto crime through innovative projects which further build capability within the LEA system. A further c£3.9m of funding is committed for next year. Monitored by the Home Office, these projects strengthen efforts to investigate and seize crypto attributed to crime.The Home Office is developing legislative proposals to counter ransomware, which will provide law enforcement and operational partners with a robust evidence base and understanding of the ransomware payment landscape to support investigations and wider activity. The UK has led significant disruptions against ransomware gangs and their criminal ecosystem. In October 2024, we sanctioned 16 members of the prolific cyber-crime gang, Evil Corp, and in February 2025, UK sanctions targeted ZSERVERS, a prolific Russian cybercrime entity responsible for facilitating crippling ransomware attacks globally.The Government will also soon publish a new fraud strategy designed to tackle all types of scams, including those involving cryptocurrencies.1National risk assessment of money laundering and terrorist financing 2025 - GOV.UK
With reference to the reforms announced in her Department's press release entitled Schools to cut bills with Great British Energy solar panels, published on 17 November 2025, will schools be required to bear any maintenance costs for the solar panels.
The department has used a delivery model which sees schools supported throughout the scheme, so whilst schools will be required to bear any maintenance costs for solar photovoltaics installed on their roofs, this is expected to be affordable from savings generated.Solar installs are already producing significant savings for schools with estimates suggesting that on average, a typical school could save up to £25,000 per year if they have solar panels with complementary technologies installed.The programme is on track with new installations at additional schools and colleges each month. Some contracts are still in procurement and, owing to the commercial sensitivity of this, it would not be appropriate to disclose evolving spend to date at this stage.
With reference to the reforms announced in her Department's press release entitled Schools to cut bills with Great British Energy solar panels, published on 17 November 2025, how much of the £100 million funding has been spent, and how much remains unallocated to date.
The department has used a delivery model which sees schools supported throughout the scheme, so whilst schools will be required to bear any maintenance costs for solar photovoltaics installed on their roofs, this is expected to be affordable from savings generated.Solar installs are already producing significant savings for schools with estimates suggesting that on average, a typical school could save up to £25,000 per year if they have solar panels with complementary technologies installed.The programme is on track with new installations at additional schools and colleges each month. Some contracts are still in procurement and, owing to the commercial sensitivity of this, it would not be appropriate to disclose evolving spend to date at this stage.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of prolonged dry weather on wildlife and natural habitats in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire.
Following the prolonged dry weather incident of 2025 the Environment Agency (EA) responded to numerous dry weather-related environmental incidents. These included incidents in: a) FyldeThe Fisheries Operations Team carried out a fish rescue at a pond near Larkholme in May, following reports of fish mortalities. b) wider LancashireThe EA attended multiple reports of fish in distress / mortalities, algal blooms and low water levels in the Leeds Liverpool canal. Fish rescues were carried out (where necessary) along with advice and guidance to fishery owners. Following the driest February to April since 1929, most drought reported incidents were confined to April and May. Intermittent rainfall from May onwards helped reduce environmental impacts, with the EA responding to just one dry weather incident in July in Lancashire.
Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of local authorities currently use digital waste tracking services.
The Digital Waste Tracking Service goes live from April 2026 for waste receivers, with requirements to digitally track waste received becoming mandatory in October 2026. Waste operators currently use multiple systems – some paper based and others digital - to collect certain elements of waste tracking data. By introducing digital waste tracking, data will be collected centrally in near real time, making it much more difficult for rogue operators to compete in the industry and commit waste crime. As part of our user research, it has been shown that the large majority of local authority waste disposal and waste collection authorities use third party contractors to manage waste in their areas, even if they are the holder of the environmental permit. As such it is difficult to quantify the number of local authorities that currently run their services in-house. From April 2027, subject to funding, Digital Waste Tracking will onboard other waste operators including carriers which will provide an end to end view of how waste moves through the system.
What discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential impact of her budget on the pubs and brewing sector.
The Chancellor will make decisions on Budget in the round and these will be announced in the usual way. The government does not comment on speculation outside of fiscal events.