Every parliamentary written question tabled by Andrew Snowden this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 1,461–1,480 of 2,662 · this parliament
What his planned timeline is for the full weapons fit of the Type 26 frigate to become operational.
The Type 26 programme remains on track to meet all user requirements and deliver world-class anti-submarine warfare frigates. T26 will be fitted with the Mk41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) and there will be options for spiral development of weapon systems throughout the ships’ life. The first T26 frigate is expected to enter service from 2028.
Pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2025 to Question 76091 on Defence: Plymouth and Yorkshire, what other regions were considered for initial Defence Growth Deals; and what criteria was used for selection.
Multiple regions across the United Kingdom were considered and assessed as potential recipients of the Defence Growth Deal. As mentioned in the previous response, the regions were assessed using the following criteria: Defence Industrial Base and Ecosystem: The area's strategic importance to defence, including strengths in specific DIS sub-sectors. Strategic Location Alignment with existing Government regional growth initiatives. Growth Potential: Measures to boost local productivity (e.g., training, R&D) and the overall labour market.
Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment she has made of the level of compliance by government departments with UK General Data Protection Regulation.
All departments are controllers of the personal data they hold and are individually responsible for demonstrating compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation. Under the same legislation, all departments are required to appoint a data protection officer (DPO), who are responsible to measure compliance. Government is taking concrete action led by the Government Digital Service in DSIT working with the Government Security Group in the Cabinet Office and the National Cyber Security Centre to improve data protection across government in a broad range of areas, including strengthening policies and placing greater emphasis on handling personal data securely in our training and communications.
Innovation and Technology, whether she has had recent discussions with Ofcom on (a) charges and (b) penalties for mobile users changing provider.
Government engages with Ofcom, the independent regulator for communication services, regularly on relevant consumer issues. Under Ofcom’s General Conditions, providers must not impose undue barriers to switching. Consumers can also switch mobile networks via text message.Ofcom’s rules also require providers to ensure switching is authorised and transparent. These protections aim to support consumer choice and competition.DSIT continues to monitor market practices and supports Ofcom’s role in enforcing fair and accessible switching processes across the communications sector.
Innovation and Technology, how many organisations have been investigated by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) for breaches of data protection law in each of the last three years.
Over the past two years, in relation to data breaches of data protection law, the ICO took informal action on 12,496 occasions, initiated 452 investigations, and issued two formal regulatory actions in response to personal data breaches. For data protection complaints, which may also be related to data breaches, the ICO took informal action on 14,064 occasions, identified 7,518 infringements, initiated nine formal investigations, and issued five formal regulatory actions. Figures are based on closed cases and retained for two years in line with ICO’s data retention policy, which allows the ICO to retain data for statistical purposes for two years.The ICO publish actions taken on its website, including monetary penalties, enforcement notices, undertakings, prosecutions and reprimands they have issued. Under the Data (Use and Access) Act (DUAA) 2025, the ICO must also produce an annual report to Parliament detailing its enforcement activities, strengthening transparency and accountability.
Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help support small and medium-sized enterprises to meet data protection obligations.
The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 included several provisions aimed at simplifying the data protection legislation to make it easier to navigate for organisations of all sizes. We are working to commence the measures in the months ahead.The ICO is the statutory authority responsible for supporting organisations to comply with their obligations under the data protection legislation. To help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) comply, the ICO provides a wide range of practical resources on its website. These include guidance on lawful data processing, templates for privacy notices, checklists for compliance, and self-assessment tools.As part of the ICO’s growth commitments announced in March 2025, the ICO will also launch later this year its SME Data Essentials programme, offering free training to small businesses on compliance with data protection legislation. This will strengthen compliance and reduce costs, enabling SMEs to grow their businesses while building greater trust with customers.
How many prisons in the North West the expanded pilot for the use of medication to manage problematic sexual arousal for sex offenders will operate in; what criteria he will use to select those prisons; and how many offenders will participate.
As the Deputy Prime Minister announced on 16 September, the innovative feasibility pilot of Medication to Manage Problematic Sexual Arousal for sex offenders will be expanded to two new regions – the North West and North East of England. This will extend the service across to twenty prisons in three regions, up from the current four in the South West pilot.Work is underway to establish these pilot services, which will include utilising learnings from the South West, to inform the appropriate prisons to begin the rollout in the North West. This will be based on relevant factors such as prison population composition and existing treatment pathways in place. This will allow us to expand the number of offenders eligible to receive this intervention, subject to clinical need, and determine which specific prisons will be part of the rollout.
What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that all pregnant women are routinely offered the whooping cough vaccine between 20 and 32 weeks of pregnancy.
The Department is working with NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency to encourage high uptake of all immunisations, including in underserved communities and in groups with historically lower vaccination rates.Significant efforts have been made to raise awareness of the importance of vaccination to protect babies against whooping cough, also known as pertussis. These include targeted campaigns using social media, digital screen graphics, and community outreach. The National Health Service actively promotes vaccination for pregnant women to protect their newborns, and efforts are underway to enhance the recording and monitoring of vaccinations, ensuring accurate data collection to assess the programme’s effectiveness.Recent data shows maternal pertussis vaccination coverage from April 2025 to June 2025 was 71.2%, which was 11.6 percentage points higher than the period from April 2024 to June 2024.However, there is more to do to stabilise and improve uptake, and that is why we have set out actions to improve uptake in our 10-Year Health Plan for England. Putting our plans into action, we have recently launched a campaign to promote awareness and confidence in vaccination, including for pregnant women, which will run throughout the year. To improve accessibility, community pharmacies in areas of high deprivation and low uptake are now also commissioned to offer some vaccinations, making it more convenient for individuals to get vaccinated.
Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of protections for equine welfare in relation to (a) temporary and (b) permanent construction projects on (i) agricultural and (ii) pasture land in (A) the National Planning Policy Framework and (B) other national planning policies.
Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it is an offence to cause any animal unnecessary suffering or to fail to provide for its welfare. The Act is supported 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. This guidance applies to any land where horses are kept, including land affected by construction activity. Beyond these provisions for equine welfare, the National Planning Policy Framework sets out policy relating to the development of agricultural land. It makes clear that planning policies and decisions should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment by recognising the intrinsic beauty and character of the countryside, including the benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land. Where significant development of agricultural land is demonstrated to be necessary, areas of poorer quality land should be preferred to those of a higher quality.
Whether his Department has conducted recent test firings of the Spearfish torpedo in UK waters.
The Ministry of Defence has made significant progress in implementing the Spearfish Upgrade Programme, focusing on enhancing the capabilities of the Spearfish torpedo system to meet evolving defence requirements. The integration of the Spearfish MOD 1 torpedo with the submarine's combat system has been demonstrated through in-water firings. The most recent test firing of the Spearfish torpedo took place in June 2025 at the British Underwater Test and Evaluation Centre (BUTEC).
What assessment the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has made of whether there are (a) regional and (b) other geographic trends in the number of suspected cloned number plate reports between 2020 and 2024.
It is an offence to use a vehicle displaying cloned number plates which is punishable by an unlimited fine and/or up to two years in prison. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime, including the use of cloned number plates. The evidence being gathered will be considered when evaluating potential future action to help address this important issue. It is important to note that not every case of a misidentified registration number will be a case of cloned number plates. While some reports may relate to cloned number plates, others may be the result of administrative errors, for example incorrect entry of registration numbers. Anyone who thinks their number plate may have been cloned should contact the police immediately and return any fines received to the issuing authorities. If there is a possibility that the number plate has been cloned, the DVLA can provide customers with letters that can be used as supporting evidence and can also provide a replacement vehicle registration number. Information on the suspected number of cloned number plates is not available by region or geographic location.
What steps his Department is taking to help raise awareness among (a) general practitioners and (b) the public on the (i) signs and (ii) symptoms of aplastic anaemia.
The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community, which includes increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals. With over 7,000 rare diseases, it is not possible for healthcare professionals to receive comprehensive training on every condition. It is therefore important that they are aware of rare diseases more broadly and are alert to considering them. The 2025 England Rare Diseases Action Plan updates on progress to increase awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals. This includes launching new resources on the innovative digital educational resource GeNotes and developing a range of training and educational resources on rare diseases to include rare diseases in UK health professional education and training frameworks.
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.
Pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2025 to Question 76091 on Defence: Plymouth and Yorkshire, what consultation with local hon. Members in the five areas took place; and what impact this consultation had upon the decision to award deals to the areas.
Prior to the launch of the Defence Industrial Strategy, the Department conducted a public consultation with over 200 responses. There was not a specific consultation directed at MPs in specific Defence Growth Deal areas, in part because work is still ongoing to establish the precise focus and scope of these areas. Significant engagement is taking place with devolved and Local Governments, and we will continue to work with key stakeholders to ensure these deals drive growth in their respective areas.
How many Malloy T-150 drones have been procured by his Department.
The Royal Navy took delivery of 20 Malloy T-150 Drones in November 2024. In September 2025 the Royal Navy declared that they had been 'Released to Service' in accordance with Military Aviation Authority Regulations.
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 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.
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.