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 1,541–1,560 of 2,662 · this parliament
Pursuant to the Answer of 3 Sep 2025 to Question 73585 on Asylum: Housing, what steps her Department is taking to ensure there is no conflict of interest when allocating contracts for asylum accommodation.
All commercial contracts are subject to normal government procurement rules.
If she will set out the level of childcare support his Department provides for (a) student nurses and (b) other essential vocational trainees; and what plans she has to increase that level of support.
It is our ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.Students who work in addition to their studies and earn the equivalent of at least 16 hours a week at National Minimum Wage (this is equivalent to £195 per week/£10,158 per year in 2025/2026), and under £100,000 adjusted net income per year, may be eligible for this offer. If they are unable to meet this threshold, they will remain eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education, which is available to all 3 and 4-year-olds, regardless of family circumstances.The government recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of support for students in further or higher education to support them with childcare. Support available to full-time students with dependent children includes the Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance. Entitlement to these grants is based on a student’s household income. Healthcare students may also be entitled to the NHS Learning Support Fund.Further information on the childcare offers available to parents can be found at: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/.
If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of making student nurses eligible for the 30 hours of free childcare.
It is our ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.Students who work in addition to their studies and earn the equivalent of at least 16 hours a week at National Minimum Wage (this is equivalent to £195 per week/£10,158 per year in 2025/2026), and under £100,000 adjusted net income per year, may be eligible for this offer. If they are unable to meet this threshold, they will remain eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education, which is available to all 3 and 4-year-olds, regardless of family circumstances.The government recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of support for students in further or higher education to support them with childcare. Support available to full-time students with dependent children includes the Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance. Entitlement to these grants is based on a student’s household income. Healthcare students may also be entitled to the NHS Learning Support Fund.Further information on the childcare offers available to parents can be found at: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of police workforce shortages on response times to emergency calls.
The Government’s Safer Streets Mission sets a clear expectation for policing to deliver safer communities and improved public confidence. We are committed to giving forces the resources they need to keep the public safe.The 2025-26 final police funding settlement provides up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. Total funding to police forces will be up to £17.6 billion, an increase of up to £1.2 billion compared to the 2024-25 police funding settlement – a significant increase, and more than the increase last year. This equates to a 7.1% cash increase, and 4.6% real terms increase in funding.This includes fully covering the costs for the 2024/25 pay award, the increase in the employer national insurance contributions, £376.8 million for officer maintenance and an additional £200 million to kickstart the first phase of 13,000 additional police officers, PCSOs and special constables into neighbourhood policing roles.It is for Chief Constables and directly elected PCCs, and Mayors with PCC functions to make operational decisions based on their local knowledge and experience. This includes how best to allocate all the resources at their disposal to provide responses to emergency calls alongside all the other services and support they provide to communities.
What steps his Department is taking to ensure childcare policy supports the recruitment and retention of student nurses as part of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, updated on 22 April 2024.
The Department for Education provides the primary funding support package for English domiciled students in higher education through the student loans system. Eligible students can also apply for the Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance.The Department of Health and Social Care provides eligible healthcare students, including student nurses, with supplementary, non-repayable support via the NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF). This includes a £5,000 training grant for all students eligible for the LSF and a further £2,000 per academic year for those students with childcare responsibility. These funding arrangements are reviewed annually ahead of the start of each academic year.We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan (10YWP) to create a workforce ready to deliver a transformed service. This 10YWP will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.
Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take with local authorities to encourage social cohesion at a neighbourhood level in Lancashire.
The government has recently announced the Pride in Place programme, which will support up to 244 of Great Britain’s most in-need neighbourhoods with up to £20 million each over the next decade. Our long-term investment is designed not only to address deprivation, but also to rebuild social capital and strengthen community ties in these areas, with a portion of funding expected to support cohesion-related projects. In Lancashire, funding is being provided to Accrington, Burnley, Darwen, Rawtenstall, Nelson, Shadsworth & Intack in Blackburn, Fleetwood, Little Layton & Little Carleton in Blackpool, Ribbleton in Preston, Morecambe West End, and Skelmersdale South East. The Pride in Place programme will target long-term investment to the communities that need it most, but some areas also need more immediate support to tackle local priorities. The Pride in Place Impact Fund will provide £150 million to up to 100 places, with each place receiving £1.5 million over two years to improve the places and spaces valued by local people. In Lancashire, the following local authorities have each been allocated £1.5 million from the Price in Place Impact Fund: Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle and Preston. Furthermore, MHCLG is co-ordinating cross-Government efforts to develop a longer-term, more strategic approach to social cohesion - working in partnership with local government, communities and local stakeholders to rebuild, renew and address the deep-seated issues.
Food and Rural Affairs, how applications for emergency authorisation of banned neonicotinoids will be assessed under the new guidance; and whether an independent scientific advisory committee will be involved in the decision-making process.
The new guidance applies to emergency authorisation applications for all pesticides, not just neonicotinoids. When considering applications, the possible adverse effects of the pesticide are weighed against the potential benefits of its use. Applicants must provide clear evidence on the benefits of pesticide use and the potential risks to people, animals and the environment if authorisation is granted. The guidance states that the decision-maker may seek independent advice on scientific aspects of applications for emergency authorisation. A key source of advice is the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides, which provides independent scientific advice on the regulation of pesticides.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is considering legislative options to permanently ban all uses of neonicotinoid pesticides.
As set out in December’s neonicotinoid policy statement, Defra will identify and assess legislative options to prevent future use of three neonicotinoid pesticides (clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam) that are not authorised due to the threat they pose to pollinators.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether the updated guidance for emergency authorisations of pesticides will apply retrospectively to applications submitted in 2024.
The updated guidance for emergency authorisations of pesticides was published on 11 September 2025. It does not apply retrospectively to applications submitted prior to that date, including any submitted in 2024.
What proportion of the increase in illegal working arrests involved people who had originally entered the UK on work visas.
The government takes illegal working very seriously, and we are determined to clamp down on the employment of individuals with no right to work in the UK.The specific information requested is not readily available from published statistics and could only be obtained for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
Which countries have had access to UK visas restricted due to non-compliance with migrant return agreements; and what criteria were used in these decisions.
Visa penalties, as outlined in section 70 of Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (Nationality And Borders Act 2022), may be imposed on a country which, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, does not cooperate with the UK in relation to the return of its nationals who do not have a legal right to be in the UK.These provisions have not been used since their introduction in 2022. But we will use all levers available to ensure the removal of those with no right to remain in the UK, including visa penalties where necessary, and will do whatever it takes to secure the UK’s border.
Pursuant to the Answer of 11 September to Question 75385 on Greta Thunberg, whether public expressions of support for the proscribed terrorist group Palestine Action are considered relevant to an assessment under Part 9 of the Immigration Rules for refusal of entry to the UK.
A person does not need to have a criminal conviction to be refused admission on non-conducive grounds. Examples of where a person’s presence may be non-conducive to the public good include where the person is a threat to national security, including involvement in terrorism and membership of proscribed organisation, or where the person has engaged in extremism or other unacceptable behaviour, such as the glorification of terrorism.
Food and Rural Affairs, how the £500 million estimate of the value of pollination services to UK agriculture was calculated.
Bees and other pollinators play an essential role in our £100 billion food industry. The latest estimated value of insect pollination on UK crops fruit, vegetable and oil seed rape production is around £630 million per year. This estimate is based on increases in yield and market quality. It was produced through field and desk-based research undertaken by the University of Reading and other researchers, who estimated the potential deficits in crop yield and quality without (or with reduced) insect pollination services, and related this to market value.
Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the economic impact of pollinator decline on UK agriculture.
There have been no recent assessments of the economic impact of pollinator decline on UK agriculture. Abundant pollinators are an essential part of maintaining sustainable food production and we will provide farmers and land managers with the support they need to help restore nature, vital to safeguarding our long-term food security, support productivity and building resilience to climate change.
How many and what proportion of visa sponsor licence revocations were (a) subsequently overturned and (b) appealed successfully from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025.
The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.The Home Office does publish data on the numbers of sponsor licences that are suspended and revoked each year and can be found under the Sponsorship Transparency Data heading at: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK.
How many foreign nationals have been refused entry to the UK on the basis of their support for proscribed terrorist groups since 2020.
The information requested is not centrally held and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the threshold for reopening cases under the exception to the double jeopardy rule introduced by the Criminal Justice Act 2003.
The Government recognises the fundamental importance of the rule against double jeopardy, as well as the need, in exceptional cases, to correct serious miscarriages of justice. The Criminal Justice Act 2003 permits a retrial only in cases involving the most serious offences, and only where new and compelling evidence becomes available. Such retrials require an application from the Director of Public Prosecutions and approval from the Court of Appeal, ensuring that any retrial serves the interests of justice. This framework is used very rarely and is designed to maintain an appropriate balance between the principles of finality and fairness. The Government keeps the law under review but has no current plans to lower or otherwise revise this high threshold.
What steps he is taking to increase the availability of virtual GP appointments.
We are expanding capacity in general practice (GP) which will help deliver more virtual and face-to-face appointments to patients.In October 2024, we invested £82 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to support the recruitment of an additional 2,000 GPs into primary care networks across England, helping to increase appointment availability and improve care for thousands of patients. We have invested an additional £1.1 billion in GPs to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service. This is the biggest increase in over a decade, and we are pleased that the General Practitioners Committee England is supportive of the contract changes. Additionally, the new £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund will create additional clinical space within over 1,000 practices across England in order to deliver 8.3 million more appointments each year.As a result of these efforts, eight million more appointments have been delivered this year compared to last.
How many visits by Ministers in his Department took place in constituencies represented by (a) Labour, (b) Conservative and (c) other hon. Members in the period between 4 July 2024 and 2 July 2025.
This information isn’t centrally held.
Representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2025 to Question 30400 on Table Office: Finance, if the Commission will review the staffing levels for the Table Office, in the context of the number of written questions published in this Session to date.
There are currently no plans to review staffing levels for the Table Office. The Chamber and Participation Team keeps under review appropriate staffing levels for the procedural offices, taking account of Member demand but mindful of the fact that the House Administration is undertaking a Savings and Improvement Programme.