Written questions by Snowden.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure defibrillators in public buildings are properly serviced.

The Government Property Agency maintains defibrillators across its estate inline with best practice (annual servicing) and is aligned to manufacturer’s guidelines. Defibrillators are also regularly visually inspected.

Whether his Department has made an estimate of the cost of hiring new staff due to changes in employer National Insurance contributions for GP practices in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

We have made necessary decisions to fix the foundations of the public finances in the 2024 Autumn Budget. Resource spending for the Department will be £22.6 billion more in 2025/26 than in 2023/24, as part of the Spending Review settlement. The employers’ National Insurance rise was implemented in April 2025.General practice providers are valued independent contractors. Each year, we consult with the sector both about what services they provide, and the money providers are entitled to in return under their contract. Operating costs, such as staffing, for these providers are considered as a part of this process.

If she will publish the guidance issued to the Crown Prosecution Service on the application of the public interest test in cases involving freedom of expression.

All guidance issued to Crown Prosecutors to assist their decision making is available here: Prosecution guidance | The Crown Prosecution Service. The overarching Code for Crown Prosecutors issued by the Director for Public Prosecutions provides guidance on how to apply the Public Interest Test in all cases that are referred to the Crown Prosecution Service.Cases involving freedom of expression issues can come in many forms, and so the relevant guidance will be followed by prosecutors depending on the facts and circumstances of the alleged conduct and the relevant statutory provisions.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2024 to Question 12182 on Schools: Fylde, what recent estimate she has made of the potential impact of the introduction of VAT on independent school fees on the number of children who (a) have enrolled in state sector schools since 1 September 2024 and (b) are expected to enrol in state sector schools in the 2025-26 academic year.

His Majesty’s Treasury published a Tax Information and Impact Note on applying VAT to independent school fees, which includes the government’s estimations of the number of pupils expected to enter the state sector as a result of this policy. This is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees/applying-vat-to-private-school-fees#who-is-likely-to-be-affected.

What steps she is taking to help increase the capacity of passenger rail services on the Lytham to Preston rail line.

The department expects operators to match capacity and frequency of their services to demand, which can mean increased service frequency where that is the right response - although these must also be operationally sustainable and deliver value for taxpayers. Northern is currently in discussions with train manufacturers over its plans to procure up to 450 new trains to replace the oldest trains in its current fleet. Approximately two thirds of the existing fleet is targeted to be replaced in the next 10 years. The new trains, the first of which are scheduled to enter service in 2030, will be cleaner and greener and will also deliver additional capacity on busy lines like Lytham-Preston.

How many VALOUR support centres for veterans he plans to locate in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire.

The detailed structures and processes that will underpin VALOUR are in development and further announcements, including on development funding, will be announced in due course. The first VALOUR pilot was launched on 26 June 2025, in partnership with Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire, and will help to develop a blueprint as VALOUR is rolled out across the country next year.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of wastewater capacity in Fylde constituency for planned housing developments.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 57582 on 26 June 2025.

What processes are in place to ensure that veterans self‑identifying in NHS primary care settings are effectively referred to VALOUR centres.

In May 2025, the Government announced VALOUR, a new programme which will establish VALOUR support centres and improve the coordination of services at a national, regional, and local level, making it easier for veterans to access the care and support available to them.NHS England is working with the Office for Veterans’ Affairs to develop processes to ensure that all National Health Service general practices are made aware of VALOUR centres, how referrals will work, and how veterans are able to access them.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of regulations governing online platforms used by the gig economy..

Businesses operating in the UK, including online platforms in the gig economy, must comply with UK laws and regulations on employment, data protection, taxation, business regulation and right to work. Responsibility for overseeing these regulations spans multiple departments and regulators, depending on the issue.The Department for Business and Trade is responsible for employment rights legislation, where the Government has committed to moving towards a simpler framework for employment status. Our priority is ensuring those workers who are most vulnerable know their rights and have the benefit of protection at work.

How many of the 3,000 (a) new and (b) expanded school-based nurseries will be in Fylde.

At the Spending Review, the department announced almost £370 million of further funding to create tens of thousands of places in new and expanded school-based nurseries to ensure more children can access the high-quality early education they deserve and get the best start in life.The department is currently planning the next phases of the programme, and we will be announcing the next steps shortly. We encourage eligible schools in Fylde to engage with their local authority and explore opportunities to participate in future rounds of funding.

Whether the Crown Prosecution Service uses information about recorded non-crime hate incidents in deciding whether to (a) bring charges and (b) recommend bail conditions.

All factual matters material to a criminal sentence must be admitted by the offender or proven in a court to the criminal standard using admissible evidence. By definition, the recording of a previous incident as “non-crime” is unlikely to meet that standard.The Code for Crown Prosecutors sets out the general principles a prosecutor must apply when making a decision as to whether there is sufficient evidence, and whether it is in the public interest, to authorise criminal charges against a suspect. The Crown Prosecution Service has published guidance on bail, the focus of which is on ensuring that the Court is provided with the relevant information to enable it to come to a proper decision as to whether or not to grant bail, with or without conditions. This will be fact specific to the circumstances of the alleged offence and the defendant. The administrative police recording of an earlier incident or allegation, which has previously been determined not to have been a crime, is unlikely to have any relevance to the question of bail.

How many prosecutions for hate crimes have the CPS commenced in each of the last 12 months; and how many and what proportion of these prosecutions resulted in conviction.

In the year to December 2024 the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) authorised the charging of a total of 11,777 suspects in hate crime flagged cases with 87.4% of legal decisions resulting in a suspect being charged.The below table provides a breakdown of the monthly charge volumes and rate for 2024. 24-0124-0224-0324-0424-0524-0624-0724-0824-0924-1024-1124-12Suspects Charged8528888919379118591,0101,4299741,0391,005982Charge Rate (% of all legal decisions)85.5%86.4%85.8%88.1%87.6%86.5%85.8%91.7%86.7%85.1%88.3%88.9% Over the same period the CPS has prosecuted 14,657 defendants of which 12,614 were convicted, giving a conviction rate of 86.1% for the 2024 calendar year.The below table provides a breakdown of the monthly completed prosecutions and convictions for 2024. 24-0124-0224-0324-0424-0524-0624-0724-0824-0924-1024-1124-12Completed Prosecutions1,1831,1121,0921,1161,2551,1021,2221,4191,2831,4621,3251,086Convictions1,0159769199701,0699311,0391,2571,1081,2591,140931Conviction Rate (%)85.8%87.8%84.2%86.9%85.2%84.5%85.0%88.6%86.4%86.1%86.0%85.7% The volume of prosecution outcomes for a period differs from the volume of pre charge decisions for the same period. Where the pre charge decision is to bring charges many cases will only reach a conclusion in a later period. This will vary according to the outcome type: for example, the legal process is longer where a case is contested or sent to the Crown Court and tried by jury.Further information can be found in quarterly data published on the CPS website: CPS quarterly data summaries | The Crown Prosecution Service.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the recording of non-crime hate incidents on the sentencing of individuals in future criminal proceedings.

All factual matters material to a criminal sentence must be admitted by the offender or proven in a court to the criminal standard using admissible evidence. By definition, the recording of a previous incident as “non-crime” is unlikely to meet that standard.The Code for Crown Prosecutors sets out the general principles a prosecutor must apply when making a decision as to whether there is sufficient evidence, and whether it is in the public interest, to authorise criminal charges against a suspect. The Crown Prosecution Service has published guidance on bail, the focus of which is on ensuring that the Court is provided with the relevant information to enable it to come to a proper decision as to whether or not to grant bail, with or without conditions. This will be fact specific to the circumstances of the alleged offence and the defendant. The administrative police recording of an earlier incident or allegation, which has previously been determined not to have been a crime, is unlikely to have any relevance to the question of bail.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's policies on maintaining the defibrillator network.

The Department does not maintain the automated external defibrillator (AED) network.The Circuit is the independently operated national AED database, developed by a partnership of the British Heart Foundation, the National Health Service, the Resuscitation Council UK, and the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives. The Circuit provides a national database of where defibrillators can be found so that ambulance services can quickly identify the nearest defibrillator. There are now over 100,000 defibrillators in the United Kingdom registered on The Circuit.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of illegally working while awaiting an asylum claim have on the outcome of that claim.

Illegal working is a criminal offence, and it is important for asylum seekers to adhere to the rules on the right to work in the UK. Evidence of illegal working will routinely be taken into account when assessing an asylum seeker's claim.

Which Department is responsible for ensuring that (a) Deliveroo and (b) gig economy platforms monitor users to ensure compliance with usage policies.

Regulatory oversight of gig economy platforms spans multiple departments and agencies depending on the specific aspect being regulated. For example, the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology is responsible for data protection policy and legislation as it relates to personal data, and the Department for Business and Trade has responsibility for the legislative framework on employment rights. Platform usage policies are contractual matters between the companies and their users, with companies responsible for enforcing their own terms of service within the bounds of applicable laws.

Whether the (a) selling and (b) renting of user profiles to gig economy platforms is a criminal offence.

If such actions are done to facilitate illegal working, yes.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the child poverty taskforce on levels of child poverty in Fylde constituency.

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances of every child, including those in Fylde constituency. The Child Poverty Taskforce is progressing work to publish the Child Poverty Strategy in autumn that will deliver fully funded measures to tackle the structural and root causes of child poverty. The Strategy will look at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across government and work underway in Devolved Governments. As a significant downpayment ahead of strategy publication, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty through the Spending Review 2025. This includes an expansion of Free School Meals that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of the parliament, establishing a long-term Crisis and Resilience Fund supported by £1bn a year (including Barnett impact), investing in local family support services, and extending the £3 bus fare cap. These commitments come on top of the existing action we have taken which includes expanding free breakfast clubs, capping the number of branded school uniform items children are expected to wear, increasing the national minimum wage for those on the lowest incomes and supporting 700,000 of the poorest families by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 June to Question 61581 on Undocumented Migrants: Lancashire, which stakeholders in Lancashire have been consulted in the last (a) month and (b) 12 months.

Our engagement is undertaken through a number of regular local and regional forums that local authority partners, including officials within Lancashire, are invited to attend.

If he will consider funding the Lobular Moonshot Project for invasive lobular breast cancer.

The Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser recently met with the Lobular Moon-Shot Project to discuss opportunities, and will convene a follow up meeting with my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in due course.