Written questions by Snowden.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the closure of Milbanke care home on the availability of care home places in (a) Lancashire and (b) Fylde constituency.

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities, in this case the Lancashire County Council, are required to shape their local markets, and to ensure that people have a range of high-quality, sustainable, and person-centred care and support options available to them, such that they can access services that best meet their needs.This reflects the fact that local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the care needs of their populations, and to make any assessment of proposals in relation to local market capacity.Department officials maintain a range of engagement on a range of issues with directors of adult social services and their departments in local authorities across the country. Colleagues from the Lancashire County Council have been involved in these discussions.I have agreed to meet with a number of local Members of Parliament to discuss the consultation the Lancashire County Council has launched on the future of 10 adult social care services, including the Milbanke care home.

What the cost was of the Prime Minister's attendance at COP30.

Ministerial travel is undertaken using efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements. Security considerations are also taken into account. Information about official overseas travel is published as part of the Cabinet Office transparency returns and made available on the GOV.UK website. It has been the practice that official Prime Ministerial flights are carbon offset where that is possible. Civil Servants and Special Advisers routinely travel with the Prime Minister, including so as to provide support in the conduct of any official duties, which can arise at any time.

How many (a) civil servants and (b) support staff attended the COP30 summit; and for what reason.

Ministerial travel is undertaken using efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements. Security considerations are also taken into account. Information about official overseas travel is published as part of the Cabinet Office transparency returns and made available on the GOV.UK website. It has been the practice that official Prime Ministerial flights are carbon offset where that is possible. Civil Servants and Special Advisers routinely travel with the Prime Minister, including so as to provide support in the conduct of any official duties, which can arise at any time.

What assessment he has made of trends in the levels of ketamine-related (a) hospital admissions and (b) emergency call-outs in the last ten years.

Data on trends in the levels of ketamine-related hospital admissions and emergency call-outs in the last ten years is not collected centrally.There was an increase in the proportion of adults entering treatment in 2023 to 2024 with ketamine problems, from 1.6% in 2022/23 to 2.3% this year. The number of ketamine users starting treatment (3,609) is now over eight times higher than it was in 2014/15, when the number was 426. Ketamine use among children and young people has also increased in recent years. According to the Crime Survey for England and Wales, the prevalence of ketamine use among 16- to 24-year-olds was 2.9% in 2023/24. This is an increase from 1.3% in 2018/19, but a decrease from 3.8% in 2022/23 which was the highest on record. The Department is taking seriously the threat of ketamine, its increased prevalence, and its associated harms. We are working with partners across Government to respond to existing and new drug threats and to reduce and prevent the health harms they cause.The Department has recently launched a media campaign to raise awareness of the risks posed by new drug trends and products. Ketamine is one of its main focuses. The campaign, which includes online films, targets 16- to 24-year-olds and social media users. Experts will highlight particular risks, including the potentially irreparable damage ketamine can cause to the bladder. The full press notice is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/young-people-given-stark-warning-on-deadly-risks-of-taking-drugsIn addition to this, the Department also cascaded a briefing to local authorities and treatment systems which included data on ketamine use and guidance on prevention, harm reduction, and treatment interventions. The briefing also included advice on how to develop system-wide healthcare responses, focusing on pathways to and from mental health and urology services to respond to ketamine related bladder damage.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to encourage (a) dog breeders to undertake health testing before breeding puppies and (b) responsible dog acquisition.

Under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, licensed breeders are prohibited from breeding dogs if it can be reasonably expected that on the basis of their genotype, phenotype or health, this would lead to welfare problems for the mother or the puppies. Under the statutory guidance, the licenced dog breeder must make sure that the purchaser is informed of the age, sex and veterinary record of the dog being sold, and that a puppy may only be shown to a prospective purchaser if it is together with its biological mother. In addition, Defra supports the sector’s Puppy Contract for responsible puppy breeding and buying. As outlined in our manifesto, the Government will bring an end to puppy farming. We are considering the most effective way to deliver this commitment and will be setting out next steps in due course.

What recent discussions his Department has had with Lancashire County Council on support for unpaid carers in Fylde constituency.

The Department for Health and Social Care regularly engages with local authorities, including Lancashire County Council, on a range of social care issues, including unpaid carers.

What recent discussions her Department has had with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on the (a) mutual recognition and (b) simplified conversion of pilot licences between the UK Civil Aviation Authority and EASA member states.

Mutual recognition of personnel licensing and simplified conversion of pilot licences would require an expansion to the Aviation Safety Chapter of the TCA (Trade and Cooperation Agreement) which is reviewed annually at the UK-EU Specialised Committee on Aviation Safety. The last meeting took place on 21 November 2024 and no expansion was agreed.

How many returns agreements her Department have made to enable the return of foreign nationals in the last 12 months.

The UK has signed returns related agreements with Vietnam, Algeria, Iraq, Moldova and France in the last 12 months.This Government is committed to maintaining and improving returns cooperation with all countries to which we are seeking to remove those with no legal basis to remain in the UK.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent meetings she has had with (a) animal welfare groups and (b) (i) veterinary and (ii) training organisations on the use of electric shock collars on pet dogs.

DEFRA regularly engage with a wide range of stakeholders on animal welfare issues.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of including fruit and nut bars under the restrictions for high fat, sugar and salt products on the health of consumers.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis to ease the strain on our National Health Service and create the healthiest generation of children ever.There are restrictions on high fat, sugar and salt products in relation to advertising and promotions. These restrictions apply to categories of products of most concern for childhood obesity, which were chosen following public consultation. The Nutrient Profiling Model is then applied to products within each category to determine which products are ‘less healthy’ and therefore subject to the restrictions, based on the balance of positive and negative nutrients. This means that, while products that are not high in saturated fat, salt or sugar are unaffected, fruit and nut bars that are high in saturated fat, salt or sugar are in scope of the restrictions.We have not quantified the impact of specific products within the advertising or promotions restrictions. However, we have published detailed impact assessments on costs and benefits of these policies on GOV.UK.

What recent discussions his Department has had with Lancashire County Council on care home provision in (a) Lancashire and (b) Fylde constituency.

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities, in this case the Lancashire County Council, are required to shape their local markets, and to ensure that people have a range of high-quality, sustainable, and person-centred care and support options available to them, such that they can access services that best meet their needs.This reflects the fact that local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the care needs of their populations, and to make any assessment of proposals in relation to local market capacity.Department officials maintain a range of engagement on a range of issues with directors of adult social services and their departments in local authorities across the country. Colleagues from the Lancashire County Council have been involved in these discussions.I have agreed to meet with a number of local Members of Parliament to discuss the consultation the Lancashire County Council has launched on the future of 10 adult social care services, including the Milbanke care home.

Whether he has made an estimate of the carbon emissions generated by the Prime Minister's attendance at the COP30 summit; and whether he took steps to offset those emissions.

Ministerial travel is undertaken using efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements. Security considerations are also taken into account. Information about official overseas travel is published as part of the Cabinet Office transparency returns and made available on the GOV.UK website. It has been the practice that official Prime Ministerial flights are carbon offset where that is possible. Civil Servants and Special Advisers routinely travel with the Prime Minister, including so as to provide support in the conduct of any official duties, which can arise at any time.

What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of probation services in preventing reoffending.

Probation services play a vital role in reducing reoffending, with a range of evidence to support this including:For a matched group of offenders, custodial sentences of less than 12 months had reoffending rates 4 percentage points higher than those on community or suspended sentences.Offenders with one or no previous convictions, the one-year re-offending rate is 14 to 17 percentage points lower for offenders on licence than similar offenders not on licence.An international meta-analysis also found that the average reoffending rate for offenders supervised by officers trained in Core Correctional Practices (CCP) was 36%, compared with an average reoffending rate of 50% for offenders supervised by officers lacking the CCP training.The Impact Evaluation of the Acquisitive Crime Electronic Monitoring Project found reoffending by burglars, robbers and thieves reduced by around 20%, when their movements were tracked by electronic monitoring.Finally, curfew tags and radio frequency electronic monitoring, used as part of community sentences, reduced reoffending by around 20%. Probation supports rehabilitation through close monitoring and management of offenders’ risk, supporting access to treatment, education, and employment, and through specialised programmes and services, including:Commissioned Rehabilitative Services (CRS) are specialist interventions delivered in partnership with private, voluntary and community organisations to support individuals under probation supervision, or on license following release from custody. They address key rehabilitative needs that, if unmet, increase the risk of reoffending and are designed to complement and improve access to mainstream services such as housing, healthcare, and local authority support.Multi-agency programmes such as Intensive Supervision Courts and Integrated Offender Management, that address the underlying causes of offending and promote positive change. Internationally, there is strong evidence that problem-solving courts, such as Intensive Supervision Courts, reduce reoffending. Evidence drawn from several countries shows a 33 percent fall in arrests from these courts compared to standard sentences.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Greener NHS project on (a) patients and (b) staff.

NHS England’s “Five years of a greener NHS: progress and forward look 2025” report clearly sets out that all Greener National Health Service initiatives focus on delivering better value for money for the taxpayer and better care for patients. These initiatives are also strongly supported by NHS staff, with nine in ten supporting the NHS’s Net Zero ambitions.Every pound the health service spends on energy bills is money that cannot be spent on cutting waiting times and improving care, and this Government is taking action to ensure every penny is saved where possible in the NHS. Ongoing examples of this include:Collaborating with Great British Energy to invest £130 million in NHS solar installations with projected lifetime energy bill savings up to £325 million.Rolling out of Electric Vehicles. This will save the NHS over £59 million per year from reduced maintenance and fuel costs. As the second largest fleet in the country, the roll-out will reduce air pollution, which impacts some of the most vulnerable patients.Securing over £1 billion in additional capital funding through the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. These projects will reduce energy bills and provide a more comfortable environment for patients and staff.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 79081 on Tourism, how many Local Visitor Economy Partnerships have been accredited; and what assessment she has made of the adequacy of their geographic distribution.

The purpose of the LVEP programme is to attract investment and ultimately drive growth, training, and help places tell their own unique stories to visitors. Through a collaborative approach that unites local authorities, businesses and regional partners, LVEPs enhance the quality of the visitor offer and ensure that the positive impacts of tourism are distributed widely across communities. economy together. 37 Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) are currently accredited across England, covering a broad mix of urban, rural and coastal destinations. In some other places, such as Bedfordshire, LVEPs are still in development. These areas are still working through how best to organise their destination management functions, align multiple local authorities, and secure the long-term funding and governance arrangements required for accreditation. The current geographical distribution reflects a strong spread of partnerships across regions, and the Department continues to work with VisitEngland to provide guidance, regional development support and resources to all destinations. VisitEngland offers dedicated assistance through Regional Development Leads and programme tools to help local areas strengthen governance, build capability and work towards accreditation. This support is available to both accredited and aspiring LVEP areas, including Bedfordshire. LVEP performance is monitored locally through delivery plans and nationally through evaluation by VisitEngland. VisitBritain/VisitEngland’s Business Plan 2025-26 allocated £1.5 million to supporting regional and local growth. This includes working with LVEPs to achieve local growth strategies and supporting the LVEP structure. VisitEngland’s regional leads and the regional pilots in the NorthEast and West Midlands have also benefited from a direct £1.35 million funding boost in 2025/26 to help the regions attract even more tourists and investment to the UK.

What steps are being taken to ensure consistency in the quality and delivery of the Armed Forces training across all NHS trusts.

The Armed Forces National Training and Education programme has been developed as a series of modules which will be delivered by a dedicated Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA) trainer within each region. The Programme comprises a series of evidence-based modules that will be delivered through multiple channels, including face-to-face sessions facilitated by the team of Regional Trainers, national webinars, and e-learning packages. Plans are underway to develop a “Train the Trainer” module to support wider implementation and ensure consistency in both quality and delivery.All module content is subject to quality assurance by the NHS Armed Forces National Team and the VCHA. The programme will undergo continuous evaluation, with updates and refinements made as appropriate.

What the most recent figures are for reoffending rates within 12 months of release.

The latest quarterly reoffending statistics (October to December 2023 cohort) show that, among adults released from custody, 41.1% reoffended within 12 months—down from 48.8% for the same quarter in 2013. We are committed to tackling the root causes of reoffending by investing in a range of interventions and services which address offenders’ underlying criminogenic needs and support their rehabilitation journey. This includes access to education & employment opportunities, stable accommodation, and substance misuse treatment.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 79081 on Tourism, how much funding her Department has allocated to support the (a) development and (b) operation of Local Visitor Economy Partnerships in the 2025-26 financial year.

The purpose of the LVEP programme is to attract investment and ultimately drive growth, training, and help places tell their own unique stories to visitors. Through a collaborative approach that unites local authorities, businesses and regional partners, LVEPs enhance the quality of the visitor offer and ensure that the positive impacts of tourism are distributed widely across communities. economy together. 37 Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) are currently accredited across England, covering a broad mix of urban, rural and coastal destinations. In some other places, such as Bedfordshire, LVEPs are still in development. These areas are still working through how best to organise their destination management functions, align multiple local authorities, and secure the long-term funding and governance arrangements required for accreditation. The current geographical distribution reflects a strong spread of partnerships across regions, and the Department continues to work with VisitEngland to provide guidance, regional development support and resources to all destinations. VisitEngland offers dedicated assistance through Regional Development Leads and programme tools to help local areas strengthen governance, build capability and work towards accreditation. This support is available to both accredited and aspiring LVEP areas, including Bedfordshire. LVEP performance is monitored locally through delivery plans and nationally through evaluation by VisitEngland. VisitBritain/VisitEngland’s Business Plan 2025-26 allocated £1.5 million to supporting regional and local growth. This includes working with LVEPs to achieve local growth strategies and supporting the LVEP structure. VisitEngland’s regional leads and the regional pilots in the NorthEast and West Midlands have also benefited from a direct £1.35 million funding boost in 2025/26 to help the regions attract even more tourists and investment to the UK.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support public libraries in Fylde constituency.

Public libraries are funded by local authorities and each local authority is responsible for assessing the needs of their local communities and designing a library service to meet those needs within available resources. The government is committed to getting local government back on its feet. The final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils' Core Spending Power on 2024-25.The Secretary of State announced in February 2025 a further £5.5 million of the Libraries Improvement Fund for 2025-26 to enable library services across England to invest in a range of projects to upgrade buildings and technology.

What the vacancy rate is for prison officers; and what assessment he has made of the regional disparity in demand for prison officers.

HMPPS publishes the difference between Staff in Post and Target Staffing Figures at establishment and national level in the quarterly HMPPS Workforce statistics (Table 4 of the Prison and Probation Officer Recruitment Annex: HM Prison and Probation Service workforce quarterly: June 2025 - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab). The June 2025 HMPPS Workforce quarterly statistics are the latest currently available. The September 2025 HMPPS Workforce quarterly statistics are due to be published on 20 November. Target Staffing level is the number of staff required to run an optimal regime in each prison. This level is greater than the minimum number of staff required for a prison to operate safely, and includes allowances for staff taking leave, being off sick or being on training. Target Staffing Figures are set on a site-specific basis and vary in size, contributing to varying demand for prison officers by site and across regions nationally. We remain committed to ensuring prisons are sufficiently resourced which is fundamental to delivering quality outcomes in prisons. Substantive recruitment efforts will continue at all sites where vacancies exist or are projected, with targeted interventions applied to those prisons with the most need.We closely monitor staffing levels across the estate, including at a regional level, and look to provide short-term tactical support where possible. Where establishments feel that their staffing levels will affect stability or regime, there are a number of ways they can maximise the use of their own resource and seek support from other establishments in the short term, through processes managed nationally at Agency level.