Written questions by Snowden.

What criteria her Department is using to decide which coastal ports or dry docks will receive UK SHORE funding.

The UK SHORE programme in the Department for Transport will primarily allocate funding through open competitions, delivered by Innovate UK. Competition scopes and assessment criteria will be published alongside competition announcements between 2026 and 2030.We are committed to supporting projects across the UK. UK SHORE has previously allocated £240m for clean maritime. This has supported organisations in all UK nations and regions, including around £30m allocated to projects in the North West.

With reference to the press release entitled Record-breaking £150bn investment unveiled during US State Visit, published on 17 September 2025, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of that business investment on economic growth.

No such formal separate assessment will be made, but we expect these investments to have significant economic benefits across the whole of the UK.

If her Department will conduct an equality impact assessment of the Residence Nil Rate Band in relation to inheritance tax.

The residence nil-rate band was introduced under the previous Government in April 2017. The then Government set out in a tax information and impact note at the time of its introduction that there was no evidence to suggest that this policy would have significant adverse impacts on those with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. The tax information and impact note is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/inheritance-tax-main-residence-nil-rate-band-and-the-existing-nil-rate-band/inheritance-tax-main-residence-nil-rate-band-and-the-existing-nil-rate-band. HMRC publishes annual statistics about the use of nil-rate bands, reliefs and exemptions. 30,600 estates used the residence nil-rate band in 2022-23, and £7.72 billion of chargeable estate value was removed from an inheritance tax charge as a result. HMRC does not collect comprehensive data about the reasons for an estate not using the residence nil-rate band.

How many people were unable to benefit from the Residence Nil Rate Band due to not having direct descendants in the most recent year for which data is available.

The residence nil-rate band was introduced under the previous Government in April 2017. The then Government set out in a tax information and impact note at the time of its introduction that there was no evidence to suggest that this policy would have significant adverse impacts on those with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. The tax information and impact note is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/inheritance-tax-main-residence-nil-rate-band-and-the-existing-nil-rate-band/inheritance-tax-main-residence-nil-rate-band-and-the-existing-nil-rate-band. HMRC publishes annual statistics about the use of nil-rate bands, reliefs and exemptions. 30,600 estates used the residence nil-rate band in 2022-23, and £7.72 billion of chargeable estate value was removed from an inheritance tax charge as a result. HMRC does not collect comprehensive data about the reasons for an estate not using the residence nil-rate band.

When the Ethics and Integrity Commission will be established.

The Ethics and Integrity commission was established on 13 October 2025. Further information is in my Written Ministerial Statement, 'Government of Service', published the same day.

What data her Department holds on the number of animals killed or injured on UK roads in each of the last five years.

This data is not held by the Department.

What steps he is taking to increase the availability of histotripsy treatment on the NHS.

Histotripsy is a non-invasive ultrasound treatment that destroys tumours without the need for surgery or radiation. It was one of eight transformative technologies supported through the Government’s Innovative Devices Access Pathway (IDAP) pilot. This programme aimed to streamline patient access to medical devices that address an unmet clinical need in the National Health Service.Through the IDAP, an Unmet Clinical Need Authorisation was granted by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, exempting the manufacturer from certain regulatory requirements under specific conditions given the critical unmet need of liver cancer, allowing early market access. Histotripsy is now available for conditional use in the NHS for patients with liver tumours. NHS treatments will begin in October 2025 as a first in Europe, strengthening the United Kingdom’s position as a global leader in medical innovation.

What proportion of the £448 million public investment announced under the UK SHORE programme will be allocated to (a) Fylde and (b) other coastal constituencies in Lancashire.

The UK SHORE programme in the Department for Transport will primarily allocate funding through open competitions, delivered by Innovate UK. Competition scopes and assessment criteria will be published alongside competition announcements between 2026 and 2030.We are committed to supporting projects across the UK. UK SHORE has previously allocated £240m for clean maritime. This has supported organisations in all UK nations and regions, including around £30m allocated to projects in the North West.

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.

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.

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 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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the preparedness of local authorities in England to collect food waste separately to household waste from March 2026.

Under the Simpler Recycling reforms, all local authorities in England must provide weekly food waste collections from households by 31 March 2026, unless a transitional arrangement applies (a later date set in legislation). We have invested over £340 million to date to support councils as they get ready for weekly food collections. We have also published guidance to help local authorities and funded sector specialists WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) to provide further resources and support. This includes guidance on good practice when delivering services to householders and communications guidance for household food waste collections. We have consulted and engaged extensively with local authorities throughout the development of this policy. This has included focused working groups, sector events and holding monthly stakeholder forums. We meet monthly with local authority waste network chairs to partner on delivery of these reforms. We are aware of some specific delivery challenges faced by some local authorities to meet these new obligations and are working with local authority waste networks and the wider industry to provide additional support where we can. We will continue to monitor progress and work with the sector to deliver these reforms.