Written questions by Snowden.

If she will require Departments to publish an estimate of the cost of answering a Written Parliamentary Question in cases where disproportionate cost is cited as a reason for not providing a substantive answer.

It is a matter for individual departments to determine how to respond to parliamentary questions from Members. In responding to questions, Ministers should be as open as possible and provide helpful answers to Members.The Guide to Parliamentary Work (available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-parliamentary-work), published by my office, sets out guidance for departments in responding to parliamentary questions and the disproportionate cost threshold. There are no plans to change this.The Guide states that “Where information is being refused on the grounds of disproportionate cost, there should be a presumption that any of the requested information which is readily available should be provided.”I encourage Hon. Members to raise any specific issues they may have with myself and my office.

Media and Sport, what steps the government is taking to reduce gambling harm in Lancashire.

Those experiencing gambling-related harm in England can access specialist treatment through specialist NHS Gambling Clinics available in every region of the country, including the Northern Gambling Service. There is also a range of support through the National Gambling Support Network.The Government has introduced a statutory levy on gambling operators to improve and expand the research, prevention and treatment of gambling harms. The levy will raise around £100 million in funding to deliver priority projects and services across research, prevention and treatment, which together we hope will reduce gambling-related harms across Great Britain. The statutory gambling levy is now in force, and funding will start flowing later this year.

What steps her Department is taking to help blind people (a) access and (b) maintain employment in Fylde constituency.

Good work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. We want people to avoid poverty, and for this to happen we must ensure that disabled people and people with health conditions have the opportunity to work and save for as long as they wish and are able to. Disabled people and people with health conditions including the visually-impaired, are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. Measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants, as well as joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies, Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care and WorkWell. We are committed to supporting disabled people, including those who are blind, get into and thrive in work. In Fylde, our Jobcentre teams work closely with the Local Authority as well as local employers and partners to offer a range of employment opportunities. Our Jobcentres have a range of support available, including Disability Employment Advisors who tailor their support to each customer’s needs and source appropriate provisions to enable customers to boost skills, link with employers or get support with their disability. An example is that the local team link customers with N-Vision (The Blackpool, Fylde & Wyre Society for the Blind), a charity that offers a wide range of support mechanisms for those with sight loss including social activities, residential and community care as well as training for organisations and businesses. The Department also provides a range of support to help blind and partially sighted individuals access, retain, and thrive in employment. This includes referrals to financial assistance, workplace adaptations, and personalised guidance. Our teams support customers with Access to Work to ensure customers have reasonable adjustment, specialist equipment, support workers and more to ensure that customers have all the necessary tools to get into and maintain work. It is also recognised that employers play an important role in addressing health and disability. To build on this, the Joint DWP and DHSC Work & Health Directorate (JWHD) is facilitating “Keep Britain Working”, an independent review of the role of UK employers in reducing health-related inactivity and to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces. The lead reviewer, Sir Charlie Mayfield, is expected to bring forward recommendations in Autumn 2025. Additionally, the JWHD has developed a digital information service for employers, continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme, and continues to increase access to Occupational Health. Backed by £240m investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched last November will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity and work toward the long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate. We announced in the recent Pathways to Work Green Paper that we would establish a new guarantee of support for all disabled people and people with health conditions claiming out of work benefits who want help to get into or return to work, backed up by £1.9 billion of new funding by the end of the decade. This support is needed to break down barriers, unlock work and open up opportunity. It will get people off welfare and into work – which we know many believe they could do.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the resilience of supply chains supporting the construction and maintenance of defence infrastructure.

MOD uses ‘SCRIPT’; a Supply Chain Resilience Intelligent Performance Tool, designed to map and monitor the resilience of the Defence supply chain. The tool allows the department to assess and assure the resilience of the supply chain on an ongoing basis.

What proportion of defence infrastructure contracts were awarded to UK-based suppliers in the last financial year.

Of 219 contracts awarded in Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) in financial year 2024-25, 97.72% (214 contracts) were awarded to Suppliers with a UK based address.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure equal access to (a) comprehensive and (b) age-appropriate relationships and sex education across schools in Fylde.

Relationships education is compulsory for all primary school pupils, and relationships and sex education compulsory for all secondary school pupils in England.The department published revised relationships, sex and health education statutory guidance on 15 July, which sets out a comprehensive and age-appropriate curriculum for all pupils in England. The revised guidance will become statutory on 1 September 2026, replacing the existing guidance which has been in force since 2020. This guidance is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the sustainability of (a) local radio and (b) news services in Lancashire; and what steps she is taking to support them.

Sustainability of local journalism across the country is an area of particular concern for this Government, including local radio and news services in Lancashire. The Government understands the important work that local media does across the UK, including local outlets and radio such as the Lancs Live and Central Radio. We are developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of this vital sector. Our vision is a thriving local media that can continue to play an invaluable role as a key channel of trustworthy information at local level, reporting on the issues that matter to communities, reflecting their contributions and perspectives, and helping to foster a self-confident nation in which everyone feels that their contribution is part of an inclusive national story. In terms of support for local community radio, the Government has announced a major uplift in community radio funding, which will help stations in need of support to invest in staff, train volunteers, develop business plans, and reach wider audiences.We are working across Government and with other stakeholders as the Strategy develops, and we recently held a roundtable discussion with local news editors to discuss our planned approach and collaboration with industry on the Strategy. An industry working group has now been set up to consider the issues in more detail and we will announce more in the coming months.

What steps his Department is taking to help support people who have been newly diagnosed with (a) blindness and (b) severe visual impairment in Fylde.

When someone is newly diagnosed as sight impaired or severely sight impaired, they become eligible for a Certificate of Visual Impairment (CVI). This can act as referral route to local authorities who, under the Care Act 2014 and Care and Support (Assessment) Regulations 2014, are responsible for ensuring that people with visual impairments in their area access the right care and support. Where individuals do not meet the eligibility threshold, they can get support from their local authorities in making their own arrangements for care services, as set out in the Care Act 2014. In addition, under the Equality Act (2010), local authorities must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged.We are taking steps to update the process by which individuals receive their CVI form, to improve the signposting of patients newly certified as sight impaired or severe sight impaired to local sight loss charities for additional support.

What assessment he has made of the resilience of the UK supply chain for electric vehicle components.

We regularly keep the resilience of our EV supply chains under review to ensure a strong and viable automotive sector. As part of our plan for growth, we will continue to work with investors to build a globally competitive electric vehicle supply chain in the UK including through new strategic investments and export support for automotive and battery manufacturing.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of Tree Preservation Orders in protecting trees of (a) ecological and (b) historical significance.

The Tree Preservation Order framework enables the protection of specific trees or woodlands where their removal would have a significant negative impact on the local environment and its enjoyment by the public.Local planning authorities can make a Tree Preservation Order if it appears to them to be “expedient in the interests of amenity to make provision for the preservation of trees or woodlands in their area”, and in doing this are advised to consider a range of factors including historic value and importance for nature conservation.An Order makes it an offence to cut down, prune, uproot, wilfully damage, or wilfully destroy a tree covered by that Order without the local planning authority’s written permission. Anyone who contravenes an Order is guilty of an offence and may be fined.

What recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of drop-outs from vocational courses in Fylde constituency; and what steps she is taking to help improve course completion rates.

The department's guidance on qualification achievement rates (QARs) includes official statistics on levels of achievement for a range of qualifications, including vocational learning. QARs are not published by parliamentary constituency, but full-year data for adult (19+) further education and skills in Fylde shows that there were 2,100 learner achievements in 2023/24, up from 1,810 in 2022/23. This does not split down by vocational courses. The data can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/introduction-to-qualification-achievement-rates-qars.Nationally, we have seen that retention rates are improving. QARs within the 19+ education and training cohort have increased from 86.8% in 2022/23 to 87.4% in 2023/24.​At ages 16 to 18, the retained and assessed rate for students who finished their T Level across 16 subjects in summer 2024 was up 5 percentage points from the previous year, over 10 subjects. The rate for large Vocational Technical Qualifications (VTQs) was up 3 percentage points.The statistics can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/provisional-t-level-results/2023-24.​The department continues to develop and improve qualifications to ensure that they meet the needs of learners. Newly reformed qualifications will become available for delivery at levels 2 and 3 at the start of the next academic year. These are high-quality, aligned to occupational standards in technical routes, and offer clear routes to higher education or skilled employment.

What security measures are in place to vet contractors and suppliers involved in sensitive defence infrastructure projects.

Defence has a range of mandatory physical, personnel and cyber security controls that are applied to contractor personnel, facilities and systems. These are all scalable to the sensitivity of projects being worked on and the classification of information being processed. If there is a particular risk the hon. Member is concerned about, I would be grateful if he could write to me about it.

What steps she is taking to support the development of the second-hand electric vehicle market.

The Government recognises the importance of the used vehicle market to our country’s transition to zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) and closely monitors its growth. We are confident that consumer interest will continue to increase as more used ZEV models approach price parity with their petrol and diesel equivalents. We already have various financial incentives to stimulate the new ZEV market and increase the supply of these vehicles feeding through to the second-hand market. Additionally, the ZEV Mandate requires manufacturers to provide a warranty of 8 years or 100,000 miles on EV batteries and provide a replacement battery if capacity falls below 70% in that period, increasing consumer confidence.

What recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of fiscal incentives for the uptake of electric vehicles.

Plug-in Vehicle Grants have been a key driver of zero emission vehicle (ZEV) uptake since they were introduced in 2011. Grants remain available for vans, trucks and wheelchair accessible vehicles. Favourable tax rates, including the lowest first year rates of Vehicle Excise Duty and preferential Benefit in Kind rates, have likewise been a key driver of ZEV adoption. The recently announced Electric Car Grant will further encourage purchases of low cost zero emission cars by providing discounts of up to £3,750.

What steps he is taking to increase access to care in the community in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

As part of the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to building a Neighbourhood Health Service that will embody our new preventative principle that care should happen as locally as it can, digitally by default, in a patient’s home if possible, in the community when needed, and only in a hospital if necessary.Neighbourhood Health Services will bring together teams of professionals closer to people’s homes, including nurses, doctors, social care workers, pharmacists, health visitors, and more, to work together to provide comprehensive care in the community.In addition, over the course of the plan, our aim is to have one Neighbourhood Health Centre in each community that brings together National Health Service, local authority, and voluntary sector services in one building, to help create a holistic offer that meets the needs of local populations.Moreover, in the future, there will also be neighbourhood health plans drawn up by local government, the NHS, and its partners. The integrated care board will bring together these plans into a population health improvement plan for their footprint, which they will use to inform commissioning decisions.We will transform access to primary and community care services, including general practice, NHS dentistry, and community pharmacy, and provide more urgent care and outpatient appointments in the community, to ensure better value for money and to reduce unnecessary attendances and stays in hospital.

What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on increasing funding for the resilience of defence infrastructure supply chains.

The Government is committed to ensure a strong defence sector and resilient supply chains across the whole of the UK, including for defence infrastructure. The forthcoming Defence Industrial Strategy, due for publication in Autumn, will set out how we will establish long-term partnerships between business and government, promote innovation, and improve resilience. Following Spending Review 2025 further detail on how the Ministry of Defence will spend its budget will be set out in the Defence Investment Plan, which is also scheduled to complete in the Autumn.

What steps he has taken to coordinate cross-departmental efforts to secure defence infrastructure supply chains.

The Cabinet Office works closely with the Ministry of Defence to track and monitor risks to national security supply chains. The forthcoming Defence Industrial Strategy will set out the government's approach to defence supply chain security and resilience.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of (a) trends in the population levels of horseflies in the UK and (b) the impact of these levels on (i) rural communities and (ii) livestock.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) does not do any systematic surveillance on horseflies in the UK or the impact they have and is not aware of any organisation that does. Horseflies are mainly considered a biting nuisance rather than a biological vector of disease such as mosquitoes and ticks. Defra has recently funded the Vector Borne Diseases Group at APHA to investigate potential arthropod vectors of disease such as horseflies with the Pirbright Institute that will involve field sampling so that we can start to address these questions as awareness of the threat of arthropod vectors increases. All livestock are protected by comprehensive and robust animal health and welfare legislation with the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Farmers have a duty to care for the animals they keep which includes protecting them from pain, injury, suffering and disease, which includes taking appropriate precautions to prevent their animals from being irritated by flies during procedures such as ear-tagging. Suppliers of ear tags must provide instructions on insertion and best tagging practice.

What guidance his Department provides to the public and healthcare providers on the treatment and prevention of horsefly bites.

The National Health Service provides advice on insect bites, including those from horseflies, which can be found at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/insect-bites-and-stings/

What assessment he has made of the capacity of the electricity grid to meet projected demand from increased uptake of electric vehicles by 2030.

The Government is working closely with Ofgem to ensure that its price control framework supports the necessary investment in the electricity network to deliver our clean energy superpower and growth missions. This includes ensuring that the distribution network has sufficient capacity to meet projected demand from electric vehicles by 2030. The current price control, RIIO-ED2 (2023–2028), enables forward-looking investment aligned with net zero goals and incorporates uncertainty mechanisms to allow networks to respond flexibly to rising demand. The next price control, RIIO-ED3 (2028–2033), will be informed by Regional Energy Strategic Plans to support more strategic and coordinated investment.