Written questions by Snowden.

What assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of gender disparities in the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of chronic urinary tract infections.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidance on prevalence suggests urinary tract infections are more common in women than in men, with men estimated to account for around 20% of all occurrences. Further information on factors related to incidence including those specific to gender is available at the following link:https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/urinary-tract-infection-lower-men/background-information/prevalence/

Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his Department has issued on animal welfare regulations that apply to construction activity taking place on land where horses are kept.

Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (the 2006 Act), it is an offence to cause any animal unnecessary suffering or to fail to provide for its welfare. The 2006 Act is backed up by the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Horses, Ponies, Donkeys and Their Hybrids which provides guidance on the legal duty of care for horses, as required by the 2006 Act. This guidance applies to any land where horses are kept, including land affected by construction activity. The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) Regulations 2018 require businesses hiring out horses to provide for a suitable environment. The guidance is available here - Hiring out horses licensing: statutory guidance for local authorities - GOV.UK.

What metrics his Department uses to measure the success of Jobcentre Plus services for people already in work.

As set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, the Government is committed to building an inclusive and thriving labour market where everyone has the opportunity of good work, and the chance to get on in work. DWP uses a combination of qualitative data, including a formal, externally commissioned evaluation and internal insights, and quantitative information including HMRC earnings data, to assess the quality of work coach interactions with claimants and claimants’ progress towards higher paid, higher quality and more productive work.  We intend to publish the externally commissioned evaluation of the in-work progression voluntary offer and research with claimants impacted by changes to the Administrative Earnings Threshold, in early 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that housing developers comply with statutory obligations to complete roads to an adoptable standard.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 80700 on 20 October 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking with the Secretary of State for Transport to provide effective (a) oversight and (b) enforcement of road adoption processes in new housing developments.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 80700 on 20 October 2025.

What guidance her Department provides to (a) councils, (b) police forces, (c) health boards, (d) housing providers and (e) other relevant local agencies on the of sharing information during anti-social behaviour case reviews.

The Home Office provides statutory guidance to support local agencies in the use of the powers and tools in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act, including the ASB case review. The guidance makes clear how information should be shared between relevant agencies to ensure the effective operation of the case review. The guidance sets out that relevant agencies should develop agreements for information sharing, risk assessments and a common understanding of the aims of the ASB Case Review.Victims can query decisions with the lead agency for the ASB case review where it has been decided that the threshold has not been met. Where the local council has led the review, victims may also submit a complaint to their using the councils’ formal complaints system. If exhausted or no response is received, victims can also contact the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are creating a new duty for police and crime commissioners (PCCs) to provide a route for victims to query decisions via their office. This includes victims being able to ask the PCC to review decisions made by the lead agency in an ASB case review where they have deemed that the threshold has not been met.

How many and what proportion of new housing developments had a Section 38 agreement in place at the start of construction in each of the last five years; and what enforcement measures are in place for developers who do not fulfil the terms of such agreements.

Under Section 38 of the Highways Act 1980, developers may enter into agreements with local highway authorities to enable the adoption of new roads. Each authority applies its own procedures and fees, and there is currently no national system to track these agreements or link them to housing developments. Authorities may refuse adoption if roads are not built to the required standard, ensuring that the cost of remedial work does not fall on the public purse. Many authorities also require financial bonds to safeguard completion if a developer defaults. The Department is aware of a decline in road adoption rates across England and is actively investigating the issue to identify potential improvements.

If she will make an estimate of how many arrestees waived their right to make no comment during police interviews in the latest period for which data is available.

The Home Office does not collect information on the content of police interviews, including whether suspects waive their right to make no comment during police interviews. This information may be held by individual police forces.The Home Office collects and publishes data on arrests by police. The most recent publication relating to arrest statistics can be found at the link below:Stop and search, arrests and mental health detentions, March 2024 - GOV.UKThe Home Office takes a judicious approach to the collection of data from police in order to avoid disproportionate burdens on forces. More information on the Annual Data Requirement is available at the following link:Home Office Annual Data Requirement (ADR) data – Privacy Information Notice - GOV.UK

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 75416 on Dangerous Dogs, when the withdrawal scheme will become active.

We are currently working to develop a withdrawal scheme so that owners who no longer believe that their dog is an XL Bully can apply to have their certificate of exemption for their dog withdrawn. Information about this process will be available soon.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2025 to Question 76091 on Defence: Plymouth and Yorkshire, whether his Department conducted a public consultation or engaged with local stakeholders before selecting the initial five regions.

Prior to the launch of the Defence Industrial Strategy, the Department conducted a public consultation with over 200 responses and there was significant engagement and collaboration between local and national government officials to identify and develop specific proposals for each nation and region.

What support her Department provides to help maintain staffing levels in small rural schools in Fylde constituency.

To ensure we have sufficient, high quality teachers, the department has increased the core schools budget by £3.7 billion in 2025/26, totalling £65.3 billion. This is alongside the near 10% pay award for teachers over the last two years to ensure teaching is once again a respected and attractive profession.In addition to improved teacher pay, the department is also providing additional financial support for trainees and teachers. For 2025/26, we announced trainee teacher bursaries worth up to £29,000 and scholarships worth up to £31,000 tax-free. We are also offering a targeted retention incentive (TRI) worth up to £6,000 after tax for teachers of key subjects in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools, including rural areas. Three schools in Fylde constituency are eligible for the TRI.Our interventions are having impact with 2,346 more teachers across secondary and special schools in 2024/25. In Fylde, there were 14 more teachers in secondary and special schools. We are also helping schools recruit and retain support staff, with support staff numbers increasing by 42 to 668 in Fylde in 2024/25.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 75416 on Dangerous Dogs, if she will consider introducing an interim scheme until the withdrawal scheme is active.

We are currently working to develop a withdrawal scheme so that owners who no longer believe that their dog is an XL Bully can apply to have their certificate of exemption for their dog withdrawn. Information about this process will be available soon.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of student loan interest rates on the total repayment amount for graduates earning below the repayment threshold.

Student loans are subject to interest so that those who can afford to do so contribute to the full cost of their degree.Interest rates on student loans do not affect monthly repayments made by borrowers. Regulated repayments are linked to income not to interest rates or the loan balance. Borrowers will be liable to repay at a fixed percentage of earnings above the applicable student loan repayment threshold. Those earning below the student loan repayment threshold repay nothing. Outstanding debt, including interest built up, is written off after the loan term ends, or in case of death or disability, at no detriment to the borrower.A full equality impact assessment of how the student loan reforms may affect graduates, including detail on changes to average lifetime repayments under Plan 2 and Plan 5, was produced and published under the previous government in February 2022 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reform-equality-impact-assessment.

How many new businesses have registered in (a) England, (b) Lancashire and (c) Fylde constituency in each of the last five years.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 10th October is attached.

What requirements are in place for (a) airlines, (b) rail services, (c) buses and (d) other public transport operators to carry adrenaline auto-injectors.

There are not any requirements for airlines, rail services, buses or public transport operators to carry adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs). Guidance published in June 2023 by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency states that prescribers should prescribe two AAIs to make sure patients always have the second dose, and that those who are prescribed AAIs should always carry two AAIs at all times. There are a number of implications that would need to be given careful consideration if AAIs were to be located in public places or placed on airlines, rail services, buses and other public transport operators. For example, we would need to consider the impacts on supplies of AAIs for patients who are prescribed them.

What steps her Department plans to take to help improve GCSE outcomes in (a) English and (b) maths for white working-class children.

All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed. However, the system is not working for all, including white working-class children, who are one of the biggest and lowest-performing groups.This is unacceptable. The upcoming Schools White Paper will set out our vision for a school system that delivers educational excellence for all children, no matter their background.The department is driving standards and outcomes through regional improvement for standards and excellence teams’ attainment conferences focused on disadvantage and the Maths Hubs programme, supported by the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics. As part of a £2 million investment in reading and writing, secondary schools can access support to foster a strong whole-school reading culture, as well as the Unlocking Reading programme to boost the reading of pupils who need the most support, launching in January.We will ensure future work to support white working-class children draws on evidence and expertise, including from the independent inquiry into white working-class educational outcomes.

How many schools operate with a budget deficit in England.

The latest available figures show 96% of academy trusts and 85% of local authority maintained schools are in cumulative surplus or breaking even, with an overall cumulative surplus of almost £6.5 billion, compared to a cumulative deficit of £330 million. These figures relate to 31 August 2024 for academy trusts and 31 March 2024 for maintained schools.In the 2023/24 financial year there were 1,745 local authority maintained schools in deficit and 341 academies were in trusts that had an overall deficit.

How many railway stations will receive additional funding to improve CCTV in Fylde constituency.

The Department for Transport recently announced just under £17 million investment to better connect CCTV at train stations, enabling greater real-time access for police to accelerate investigations and help passengers feel safer. We are in the planning phase of the project, with funding not due to be allocated until 2026/27. The project will initially connect the cameras at the stations with the highest footfall, before being expanded to other stations so that 98 per cent of passenger footfall is captured.Northern Trains Limited, who operate trains in Fylde, have also recently updated their CCTV strategy as part of their broader plans to improve accessibility across its network. This strategy covers CCTV maintenance, renewals and enhancements.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 10 September 2025 to Question 76390 on Property Development: Insolvency, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of unadopted roads and common areas on the resale value of homes on estates where the developer has become insolvent.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 76390 on 19 September 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of pre-examination checklists on the time taken to (a) examine and (b) adopt local plans.

The government is committed to achieving a more efficient and consistent local plan examination process. The pre-examination checklist was introduced this month to assist Local Planning Authorities in identifying and resolving potential problems with emerging plans at an earlier stage. This reduces the risk of protracted examinations that result in local plans that cannot be adopted because they cannot be found sound.