Written questions by Snowden.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled 14 NHS trusts the focus of national maternity investigation, published on 15 September 2025, if he publish the full data and methodology used to select the 14 NHS trusts under investigation.

The independent investigation is chaired by Baroness Valerie Amos and supported by a small team of expert advisors.Local investigations will be carried out by trained investigators who will spend several days on site at each trust, supported by a small team. Our current expectation is that visits will take place between October and December 2025, though these timings are indicative only, and are subject to final confirmation, particularly in light of the pressures faced by trusts during the winter months.The investigation will produce an initial set of national recommendations by December 2025, with a final report and recommendations to be published in spring 2026. This is due to the ambition, size, and scope of the investigation.The 14 National Health Service trusts were selected by the independent investigation based on a variety of factors, including results from the Care Quality Commission’s Maternity Patient Survey and Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK’s Perinatal Mortality Rates, in addition to variation in case mix, trust type, geographic coverage, provision of care to individuals from diverse backgrounds, and family feedback.Three of the trusts have been included due to their inclusion in previous investigations or reviews, with these three trusts being the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, and the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.By taking this approach, the investigation can capture learning from a wide range of provision and experiences, ensuring the findings are relevant across the system.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to work with the Secretary of State for Transport to reduce the number of wildlife-related road accidents.

There is currently no joint programme of work between Department of Transport and Defra to reduce the number of wildlife-related road accidents.

Media and Sport, whether the list of designated days for the flying of the Union Flag is kept under regular review; and when the last review took place.

The list of designated days for the flying of the Union Flag is reviewed annually in consultation with No 10 and the Royal Household. The most recent review was completed on 14th March 2025 when the 2025 Designated Days list was published on GOV.UK.

Media and Sport, what steps she has taken to ensure that all government buildings (a) are aware of and (b) comply with the guidance on designated days for flying the Union Flag.

Each year, DCMS publishes an annually-reviewed list of the designated days for flying the Union Flag on gov.uk. Government departments are also regularly reminded of flag-flying requirements on occasions such as this year’s VE and VJ Day anniversaries, alongside the encouragement to fly the Union Flag every other day if possible.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made a recent estimate of the population of Hen Harriers in Lancashire.

The most recent estimate of the population of Hen Harriers in Lancashire is 13 successfully breeding females, which produced 42 young this year.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled 14 NHS trusts the focus of national maternity investigation, published on 15 September, what his planned timeline is for completion of each local trust investigation; what the interim milestones will be; and if he will provide regular updates to Parliament on progress.

The independent investigation is chaired by Baroness Valerie Amos and supported by a small team of expert advisors.Local investigations will be carried out by trained investigators who will spend several days on site at each trust, supported by a small team. Our current expectation is that visits will take place between October and December 2025, though these timings are indicative only, and are subject to final confirmation, particularly in light of the pressures faced by trusts during the winter months.The investigation will produce an initial set of national recommendations by December 2025, with a final report and recommendations to be published in spring 2026. This is due to the ambition, size, and scope of the investigation.The 14 National Health Service trusts were selected by the independent investigation based on a variety of factors, including results from the Care Quality Commission’s Maternity Patient Survey and Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK’s Perinatal Mortality Rates, in addition to variation in case mix, trust type, geographic coverage, provision of care to individuals from diverse backgrounds, and family feedback.Three of the trusts have been included due to their inclusion in previous investigations or reviews, with these three trusts being the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, and the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.By taking this approach, the investigation can capture learning from a wide range of provision and experiences, ensuring the findings are relevant across the system.

Whether his Department plans to expand the Further Faster 20 programme.

The Further Faster 20 (FF20) initiative was announced in September 2024, run by the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) team in NHS England to deploy expert advice to National Health Service trusts in areas with the highest levels of economic inactivity to get patients treated faster. Data from October 2024 to August 2025 shows waiting lists across these areas have been reduced by over 66,000.Whilst there are currently no formal plans to expand the FF20 programme, key learnings have been taken from the FF20 work to date which are available to all trusts. This includes vital work on clinic template standardisation. An operational guide developed by GIRFT from FF20 trust engagement demonstrates to trusts across the country how they can unlock additional outpatient capacity and activity across relevant specialities. Work is ongoing to support trusts to adopt approaches outlined in this guidance.GIRFT is a national programme designed to improve the treatment and care of patients across more than 40 surgical and medical specialties, including diagnostics, day case surgery, outpatient services and clinical coding. GIRFT has already expanded its on-the-ground support to NHS trusts through the GIRFT Further Faster Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC) programme to support 20 acute providers in England strengthen UEC pathways ahead of the winter period.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department provides guidance or best practice to local authorities on integrating animal protection measures into local transport and infrastructure planning.

When determining any planning application, it is the responsibility of the local planning authority to ensure that protected species are fully considered and that ecological surveys have been carried out where appropriate. Natural England has issued Standing Advice to assist both local planning authorities and developers in deciding whether there is a reasonable likelihood of protected species being present on a proposed development site. It provides detailed advice on those protected species most often affected by development to enable an assessment to be made of the suitability of a protected species survey and, where appropriate, a mitigation strategy to protect the species affected by the development. To help integrate nature into new development, the government has also amended the National Planning Policy Framework. This encourages the incorporation of features, such as swift bricks and hedgehog highways, to protect threatened species through local plans and decisions on planning applications.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure consistency in enforcement of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 across different Fire and Rescue Authorities.

The department works with the National Fire Chiefs Council to update national guidance and support fire and rescue services’ protection departments to enforce our fire safety laws effectively. The department recently issued a guidance supplement updating guidance to enforcing authorities at Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005: enforcement - GOV.UK. Fire and rescue authorities are required to have regard to this guidance in their enforcement approach, however specific enforcement decisions are based on the circumstances of each case.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Million Hours Fund on organisations in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire.

The Million Hours Fund provides youth organisations with funding to deliver over a million additional hours of positive activities for young people in areas where they may be at risk of anti-social behaviour.DCMS and The National Lottery Community Fund launched Phase 3 of the Million Hours Fund on 30th July 2025. This is a £19 million joint investment (£12 million from DCMS and £7 million from The National Lottery Community Fund). The Fund will run until 31 March 2027 and is now closed to applications. The list of wards eligible for funding in Fylde and Lancashire can be found here: https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/funding-programmes/million-hours-fund-2025-to-2027/eligible-ward-areas.Nine organisations based in the constituencies of Fylde and Lancashire are receiving up to £406,541 worth of funding as part of previous phases of the Million Hours Fund.An evaluation of the Million Hours Fund is being conducted, which will assess the impact of the Fund on organisations and young people.

What assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of unadopted roads on new housing developments due to developers.

Following the publication of the Competition and Markets Authority’s Housebuilding Market Study in February 2024, the Department has noted a downward trend in road adoption rates across England, particularly in areas with new housing developments. In response, the Department is undertaking research into the road adoption process under the Highways Act 1980 to assess the scale of the issue nationally and identify opportunities to improve the system to reverse the downward trend. Additionally, the Department is working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to explore reforms to the planning process that support more effective road adoption outcomes.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that NHS trusts move into financial surplus by 2030.

The National Health Service priorities and operational planning guidance 2025/26 made it clear that living within budget, reducing waste and increasing productivity is a priority. This year’s financial framework changes include making deficit support funding conditional on performance, implementing a financial override in the Oversight Framework, and introducing additional support for efficiency and productivity through the new Financial Performance and Improvement Programme. The 10-Year Health Plan also made several longer-term commitments to strengthen the NHS financial foundation, which are now being taken forward, including:(a) A commitment to deliver 2% annual productivity growth, which will unlock £17 billion in savings over 3 years.(b) A new approach to NHS financial management including multi-year settlements, and phasing out deficit support funding;(c) Sharper financial incentives including the use of best practice tariffs, and changing the funding model to encourage urgent and emergency care to shift to the community;(d) A fairer geographical distribution of funding, to target areas with disproportionate economic and health challenges; and(e) Reform of the capital regime, giving more power to the frontline and speeding up the capital approvals process.

If she will take steps to engage with (a) stakeholders and (b) members of the public on inheritance tax policy.

The Government published tax policy making principles on 12 June 2025. These principles underpin the Government’s approach to delivering tax policy changes, including setting out how it will engage with stakeholders during tax policy development. This is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/tax-policy-making-principles.

What assessment he has made of the availability of continuous positive airway pressure machines for NHS patients diagnosed with sleep apnoea.

No specific assessment has been made by the Department.The provision of treatments for sleep apnoea is a commissioning matter and these decisions are the responsibility of integrated care boards, taking into account the needs of their local populations and national guidance such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on diagnosis and management of obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome.NICE has recommended continuous positive airway pressure machines (TA139) as a treatment option for adults with moderate or severe symptomatic obstructive sleep apnoea or hypopnoea syndrome, where certain clinical criteria are met.

What assessment his Department has made of the resilience of Lancashire-based defence supply chains supporting military aerospace.

The Department recognises supply chains as a foundational priority for Defence and is actively working to de-risk critical vulnerabilities in collaboration with industry. We maintain close working relationships with our suppliers across the United Kingdom, including those based in Lancashire, to ensure resilient, adaptive and collaborative defence supply chains to support our Armed Forces.

How the proposed Defence Technical Excellence Colleges will be supported in (a) funding, (b) curriculum and (c) student recruitment; what geographical coverage is planned; and what steps he plans to take to ensure skills shortages in the defence industrial base are reduced.

To meet growing demand for a skilled workforce, we have announced a £182 million skills package as part of the Defence Industrial Strategy that will attract, develop and retain a high-skilled, well-paid UK defence workforce both now and into the future. We will work closely with industry on this package including through the newly established Defence Industrial Joint Council. This funding includes investment in five Defence Technical Excellence Colleges which will be appointed through a fair and transparent application process run by the Department for Education, working with the Ministry of Defence. Defence Technical Excellence Colleges will be recognised for provision of high-quality teaching, curriculum and effective collaboration with local employers. This aims to provide clear pathways into defence sector jobs for learners. All general further education colleges in England will be able to apply, subject to meeting specific eligibility criteria. Further details on the process and criteria will be published in due course.

How much funding his Department has allocated to the new single living accommodation block at Weeton Barracks.

A new Single Living Accommodation project is underway at Weeton Barracks, where contractual costs are approximately £15 million. The project will provide a modern, sustainable building with 69 bed spaces. The building is due to be completed in December 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential ecological impact of animal road casualties on native wildlife populations.

The Secretary of State for Defra has not assessed the potential ecological impact of animal road casualties on native wildlife populations in general. However, studies have shown that road traffic collisions are one of the factors in the decline in species such as the hedgehog.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department will take steps to provide (a) financial support and (b) incentives for (i) developers and (ii) households to install water-saving devices.

The Government works with Ofwat who offer financial environmental incentives for developers to meet certain water efficiency standards. On 23 September we launched a consultation to consider tighter water efficiency standards for new homes in the Building Regulations. We are working with Ofwat to ensure that environmental incentives in the future align with the ambition set out in this consultation and are considering how we can support developers as part of the £25 million fund held by Ofwat to fund a Water Efficiency Lab which aims to encourage innovation across the sector and is from November focusing on actionable insights for consumers. To support households to reduce their water usage we are rolling out mandatory water efficiency label to ensure consumers can make informed decisions on their purchases, this will align with existing incentives for consumers to install water saving devices including free devices from water companies and the incoming £100 million Water Efficiency Campaign from Ofwat.

Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment she has made of the level of compliance by government departments with UK General Data Protection Regulation.

All departments are controllers of the personal data they hold and are individually responsible for demonstrating compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation. Under the same legislation, all departments are required to appoint a data protection officer (DPO), who are responsible to measure compliance. Government is taking concrete action led by the Government Digital Service in DSIT working with the Government Security Group in the Cabinet Office and the National Cyber Security Centre to improve data protection across government in a broad range of areas, including strengthening policies and placing greater emphasis on handling personal data securely in our training and communications.