Written questions by Snowden.

What steps she is taking to ensure school closures due to extreme weather do not affect educational outcomes.

It is for individual settings and responsible bodies to decide on closures based on their own risk assessment. Closures should be a last resort, and the priority is to keep settings open where safe. The department’s guidance for schools includes information on remote education when pupils cannot attend. Remote learning should only be used when attendance is impossible but learning can continue. The department’s emergency planning guidance outlines how schools should provide remote education, and can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/emergency-planning-and-response-for-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings/emergency-planning-and-response-for-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings#exam-and-assessment-disruption. The department has also issued non-statutory guidance on providing remote education guidance for schools which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/providing-remote-education-guidance-for-schools/providing-remote-education-guidance-for-schools. Guidance for parents on remote education is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/providing-remote-education-information-to-parents-template. Schools can make use of free resources provided by Oak National Academy, which includes comprehensive, curriculum-aligned lesson materials across all key stages and subjects. These can be accessed online and adapted by teachers. More information is available at: https://www.thenational.academy. All schools and colleges must have contingency plans to ensure exams and assessments proceed during disruption. Detailed guidance on managing exam or assessment disruption can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/exam-system-contingency-plan-england-wales-and-northern-ireland/what-schools-and-colleges-should-do-if-exams-or-other-assessments-are-seriously-disrupted.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of banning property management companies from charging disproportionate fees for homeowners to obtain documentation relating to the sale of their properties.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 62778 on 4 July 2025.

How many applications for air-to-air heat pump grants have been received since the expansion of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme currently offers grants of £7,500 for hydronic heat pumps only – air and ground source. On 18 November, the Government published the response to the consultation, which closed on 11 June, on proposed amendments to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. The Government will begin to provide grants with a value of £2,500, to support the installation of air-to-air heat pumps in domestic properties from next year.

What is the passenger entry and exit data referred to in the Data Usage Agreement the Home Office made with HMRC for the customer left UK data share pilot.

The passenger entry and exit data referred to in the Data Usage Agreement (DUA) between the Home Office and HMRC is Advance Passenger Information. This is essentially the passenger manifest for each flight or voyage, setting out the names and travel document details of individuals onboard aircraft or ships which depart from or to the UK. The Data Usage Agreement is covered by the Digital Economy Act 2017 to prevent fraud in the Child Benefit system.No Passenger Name Record (PNR) data has been re-personalised or shared with HMRC under the DUA. The Home Office Initial Status Analysis is not used to monitor departures of British Citizens from the UK.

What discussions she has had with (a) HMRC and (b) the Department for Work and Pension on the use of passenger name records.

The passenger entry and exit data referred to in the Data Usage Agreement (DUA) between the Home Office and HMRC is Advance Passenger Information. This is essentially the passenger manifest for each flight or voyage, setting out the names and travel document details of individuals onboard aircraft or ships which depart from or to the UK. The Data Usage Agreement is covered by the Digital Economy Act 2017 to prevent fraud in the Child Benefit system.No Passenger Name Record (PNR) data has been re-personalised or shared with HMRC under the DUA. The Home Office Initial Status Analysis is not used to monitor departures of British Citizens from the UK.

What steps he is taking to help ensure that patients are not adversely affected by strike action.

Our priority is to keep patients as safe as possible during any industrial action. The National Health Service makes every effort through rigorous contingency planning to minimise the disruption of industrial action and its impact on patients and the public. Assessments are made by local trusts on the levels of resourcing available, and they can escalate concerns via regions and nationally, where appropriate.The NHS works hard to prioritise resources to protect all patients using its services during the period of strike action, in particular emergency treatment, critical care, neonatal care, maternity, and trauma, and to ensure we prioritise patients who have waited the longest for elective care and cancer surgery.Due to the dedication of NHS staff and a different operational approach from previous strikes, the NHS in England significantly reduced disruption to patients during resident doctor strikes in July, with data showing that 11,000 extra patients received care compared to the previous period of strike action.

On what basis her Department re-personalised passenger name record data to share it with HMRC under the Data Usage Agreement: customer left UK data share pilot, published on 5 September 2024.

The passenger entry and exit data referred to in the Data Usage Agreement (DUA) between the Home Office and HMRC is Advance Passenger Information. This is essentially the passenger manifest for each flight or voyage, setting out the names and travel document details of individuals onboard aircraft or ships which depart from or to the UK. The Data Usage Agreement is covered by the Digital Economy Act 2017 to prevent fraud in the Child Benefit system.No Passenger Name Record (PNR) data has been re-personalised or shared with HMRC under the DUA. The Home Office Initial Status Analysis is not used to monitor departures of British Citizens from the UK.

Whether the government uses its Initial Status Analysis system to monitor the departure of British citizens from the UK, as well as non-citizens.

The passenger entry and exit data referred to in the Data Usage Agreement (DUA) between the Home Office and HMRC is Advance Passenger Information. This is essentially the passenger manifest for each flight or voyage, setting out the names and travel document details of individuals onboard aircraft or ships which depart from or to the UK. The Data Usage Agreement is covered by the Digital Economy Act 2017 to prevent fraud in the Child Benefit system.No Passenger Name Record (PNR) data has been re-personalised or shared with HMRC under the DUA. The Home Office Initial Status Analysis is not used to monitor departures of British Citizens from the UK.

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 the value for money of expanding the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to include air-to-air heat pumps and heat batteries compared to other low-carbon heating options.

The Government recognise that hydronic heat pumps may not be the most appropriate solution for all properties, especially those that currently have ‘dry’ (non-hydronic) space heating. Therefore, we are supporting air-to-air heat pumps under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) to increase consumer choice and flexibility. The value for money, costs and benefits of expanding the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to include air-to-air heat pumps will be included in a published Impact Assessment covering the period 2025/6 to 2029/30. This analysis will be updated to incorporate heat batteries closer to the point when they become eligible under the scheme. An Impact Assessment for period 2022/23 to 2024/25 is already published.

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%.

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.

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.