Written questions by Snowden.

What steps he plans to take to return of Weeton Barracks to its original military function; and what his planned timetable is for the complete withdrawal of ARAP-related residents.

Weeton Barracks has been occupied by 1st Battalion The Lancashire Regiment since 2024. It was not used as transitional accommodation for Afghans. I can reassure the hon. Gentleman that only surplus Service Family Accommodation was allocated as part of the Afghan Relocation Programme. There has been no impact caused by the Afghan Relocation Programme on military training operations or the availability of housing for Service personnel at Weeton Barracks. The Afghan Entitled Persons (EPs) are expected to have vacated the Surplus SFA by the end of November 2025. Following the vacation of the Afghan EPs, the properties will be refurbished as required and made available for allocation to Service personnel.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the licensing regime for Houses in multiple occupation in (a) identifying and (b) addressing potential conflicts of interest involving public contract holders.

It is important that private rented properties are safe, well-maintained, and properly managed. Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licensing schemes play a crucial role in achieving this. Local authorities have robust powers to ensure landlords of HMOs comply with all relevant regulations.

What estimate she has made of the number of illegal immigrants residing in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire.

By its very nature, it is not possible to know the exact size of the illegal migrant population, and so the Home Office under successive governments has not published any official estimates of the illegal migrant population.The Government continues to take decisive action against those found to be in the UK illegally, with a surge in returns activity since the election leading to over 35,000 people with no right to be in the UK being removed between 5 July 2024 and 4 July 2025.

Whether her Department is taking steps to investigate potential conflicts of interest in the administration of asylum accommodation contracts relating to people who both oversee contracts and are licence holders for houses in multiple occupation used for asylum accommodation.

All commercial contracts are subject to normal government procurement rules.

What steps his Department is taking to increase public awareness of the (a) causes and (b) early prevention of plantar fasciitis.

The NHS.UK website, the primary source of public information on health conditions and health services for patients in England, provides information on plantar fasciitis, including details on the causes and symptoms of the condition, as well as information on self-care and when to see a health professional. This information is available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/plantar-fasciitis/

What assessment she has made of trends in the level of unemployment in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

The information requested is published and available at:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp Guidance for users can be found at:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure sustainable urban drainage systems are effectively (a) adopted and (b) maintained.

The Government is strongly committed to improving the implementation of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and we are looking at what additional steps might be taken to support this. Better delivery of SuDS may be achieved by continuing to improve the current planning policy-based approach and looking at ways of improving the approach to adoption and maintenance, rather than commencing schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. A final decision on this matter will be made in the coming months. We have made some immediate changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to support increased delivery of SuDS. The NPPF now requires all development to utilise SuDS where they could have drainage impacts. These systems should be appropriate to the nature and scale of the proposed development. See paragraphs 181 and 182 of the NPPF. In June this year, the Government introduced new national standards, making clear that SuDS should be designed to cope with changing climatic conditions as well as delivering wider water infrastructure benefits in the form of flood prevention and storm overflow reduction, offering reuse opportunities, reducing run off, and helping to improve water quality, amenity, and biodiversity.

Whether he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) mobile or (b) school-based vaccination programmes as part of the catch-up campaign for chickenpox vaccination.

On 29 August 2025, the Government announced plans to introduce chickenpox (varicella) vaccination into the routine childhood immunisation schedule from 1 January 2026. Eligible children will receive a MMRV vaccine during routine GP appointments, which protects against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox.The eligibility criteria, including which age groups will receive the vaccine, will be announced ahead of the programme launch.In line with the NHS vaccination strategy, NHS England are driving excellence in operational delivery by ensuring a high-quality core vaccination offer to eligible cohorts.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the readiness of NHS services in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire to deliver the chickenpox vaccine from January 2026.

On 29 August, the Government announced plans to introduce chickenpox vaccination into the routine childhood immunisation schedule from 1 January 2026, using the MMRV vaccine which protects against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox (varicella).The MMRV vaccine will be offered at GP practices as part of routine infant vaccination appointments.Any vaccination programme change carefully considers factors including National Health Service delivery and impact on other vaccination programmes.The Department, NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency work closely together to inform and educate the public and health professionals and ensure system readiness to maintain the high standards of the UK’s world-leading vaccination programmes, including in Fylde and Lancashire.

Food and Rural Affairs, what insurance support is available for homeowners whose properties were built after 2009.

Planning policy is clear that that inappropriate development in floodplains should be avoided. Where development is necessary in a flood risk area, it should be made flood resistant, resilient and safe for their lifetime, without increasing flood risk elsewhere. It is important to shop around to find an affordable premium as individual insurers consider different factors in setting their premiums. Householders can use the Flood Insurance Directory at www.biba.org.uk.find-insurance to find an appropriate insurance service or speak to someone at BIBAs Find and insurance service on 0370 950 1790. Householders should ensure that the cover is suitable for their individual circumstances.

What plans he has to support partnerships between (a) local pharmacies and (b) drug and alcohol support charities to deliver harm reduction services in (i) Fylde and (ii) Lancashire.

Many community pharmacies provide locally commissioned services aimed at reducing harm from the misuse of alcohol and drugs. This includes supervised consumption of opioid substitution treatment medicines like methadone, needle and syringe programmes, and naloxone provision. Pharmacies also provide free healthcare advice, public health interventions, and signposting to relevant organisations and services.Local substance misuse services and community pharmacies should work together to help provide an effective service to people who use drugs and alcohol. This includes encouraging person-centred and trauma-informed treatment with shared decision-making. In 2024, the Department published guidance for community pharmacies delivering substance misuse services. This outlined good practice for delivering safe and effective care and advice on joint working between services and commissioners and community pharmacies. This guidance is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-pharmacy-delivering-substance-misuse-services/community-pharmacy-delivering-substance-misuse-services#multidisciplinary-team-and-joint-working The Department is aware of the challenges in the ability of some community pharmacies to provide substance misuse services and has been supporting drug and alcohol treatment services to identify local solutions, including increased payment and some alternative models of provision of these services.In addition to the Public Health Grant, in 2025/26, the Department is providing Lancashire with £10,424,106 to help improve drug and alcohol treatment and recovery systems. All funding is provided at the Lancashire level, and it is for Lancashire County Council to determine how to meet needs in Fylde. This funding can be used to support local community pharmacies and drug and alcohol support charities to deliver harm reduction services.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will consider introducing a reinsurance scheme similar to Flood Re for properties built after 2009.

Planning policy is clear that that inappropriate development in floodplains should be avoided. Where development is necessary in a flood risk area, it should be made flood resistant, resilient and safe for their lifetime, without increasing flood risk elsewhere. It is important to shop around to find an affordable premium as individual insurers consider different factors in setting their premiums. Householders can use the Flood Insurance Directory at www.biba.org.uk.find-insurance to find an appropriate insurance service or speak to someone at BIBAs Find and insurance service on 0370 950 1790. Householders should ensure that the cover is suitable for their individual circumstances.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that people prescribed weight loss medication also adopt lifestyle changes.

Weight loss medications (semaglutide, tirzepatide and liraglutide) are licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as clinically and cost-effective treatment options on the NHS for obesity. Both the license and NICE guidance for these medicines specify that they should be prescribed alongside a reduced calorie diet and physical activity. NICE guidance also states that healthcare professionals should arrange information, support, and counselling on additional diet, physical activity, and behavioural strategies when these medicines are prescribed.Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning health services within their area in line with local population need and taking account of relevant guidance. This includes services to support lifestyle changes alongside the prescription of these medicines. NHS England have however also made a central wraparound service available which ICBs can use to support primary care prescription of these medicines. This central service focuses on nutrition, physical activity and psychological support.Private prescribers do not have to follow NHS or NICE guidance. However, they are expected to take account of appropriate professional guidance. This includes guidance from the General Medical Council which encourages the prescription of medicines in accordance with the terms of their license unless the prescriber concludes that they should go outside of the licence for medical reasons.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Prevent duty in reducing radicalisation among children and young people in the long term.

The Home Office works continually to enhance and strengthen our approach to preventing radicalisation among children and young people. Each year, a significant number of young people are referred to Prevent for support. In the year ending 31 March 2024, individuals aged 11 to 15 accounted for the largest proportion of the 6,884 referrals to Prevent (2,729; 40%) where age was known, and a slightly larger proportion of both those discussed at a Channel Panel (374; 42%) and those adopted as a Channel case (254; 50%).To assess the effectiveness of the programme, a Channel evaluation programme launched in April 2025 and has begun collecting data on outcomes for participants of Channel in England and Wales. The evaluation has also been expanded to Prevent multi-agency panels (PMAP) in Scotland. The evaluation programme is consulting practitioners nationally and conducting case studies across six local authorities to review how Channel is being delivered. This is a significant piece of work to improve our understanding of Channel's impact on counter-terrorism outcomes and radicalisation risk. The evaluation will report at the end of 2026.Earlier this year, Prevent launched new guidance to ensure that repeat referrals to Prevent receive the multi-agency consideration they require. In January 2025, the Channel multi-agency programme was extended to enable interventions in cases where people are under police investigation. This means specialist support can be provided to individuals -  and particularly young people -  who are already on a pathway to terrorism offending, to reduce their risk of harm.An end-to-end review of Prevent thresholds has also been concluded, and its recommendations will strengthen our approach to the assessment and management of Prevent referrals, including where young people are identified as being at risk. Pilots are now running across the country, to ensure that where young people do not meet Prevent thresholds, they receive the support they need from wider services.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will consider requiring insurers participating in the Flood Re scheme to include surface water flooding coverage as standard.

The Flood Reinsurance (Scheme Funding and Administration) Regulations 2015 define a “flood” as “water, from any source external to a building, which enters a building…at or below ground level, or above ground level, provided that part of the body of such water is at ground level; and does so with a volume, weight or force which is substantial and abnormal". Therefore, under this definition, surface water flooding is included as standard within the Flood Re scheme’s offer. Insurance companies can choose to cede the flood risk element of an eligible household policy to Flood Re if the Schemes premium for that is lower than they can otherwise offer. Flood Re does not have any involvement in or influence over individual insurers’ decisions to cede policies.

What recent assessment he has made of waiting times for NHS treatment of plantar fasciitis.

No recent assessment has been made specifically on plantar fasciitis waiting times. However, as set out in the Plan for Change, we have committed to return to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients, including those waiting for fibromatosis care, wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029. We provided additional investment in the Autumn Budget that has enabled us to fulfil our pledge to deliver over two million more elective care appointments early. More than double that number, 4.9 million more appointments, have now been delivered.The majority of treatment for plantar fasciitis is done within primary care settings, with only a small fraction of patients requiring treatment at hospitals. Data presenting a more detailed breakdown, specific to plantar fasciitis wait times, is not held by the Department.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment she has made of compliance with EPC regulations in the private rented sector.

The government published a consultation on reforms to the Energy Performance of Buildings regime via gov.uk here, which included an impact assessment containing assessment of EPC compliance. ONS analysis suggests around 60-80% of PRS dwellings in England and Wales are covered by an EPC since records began. Further details can be found here.The enforcement of the EPC regulations is the responsibility of local weights and measures authorities. The government does not keep records on the levels of compliance with the EPC regulations in the private rented sector.

If he will take steps to fund specific communications campaigns in (a) Lancashire and the (b) North West to (i) raise awareness of the chickenpox vaccine and (ii) address misinformation.

On 29 August 2025, the Government announced plans to introduce chickenpox vaccination into the routine childhood immunisation schedule from 1 January 2026, using the MMRV vaccine which protects against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox (varicella).The launch of the chickenpox vaccination programme in January 2026 will see a press campaign with the UK Health Security Agency and NHS England working together to inform and educate through the use of low and no cost communications. This will continue throughout the year with key bursts of activity on all childhood vaccines. The last national childhood vaccination campaign was elevated in the North West area, with outdoor advertising up weighted in funding and exposure in the North West’s lowest uptake areas.The Department of Health and Social Care will also launch a national childhood vaccination paid marketing campaign in February 2026 to encourage uptake of all childhood vaccinations for those age 0-5 years and will include high impact advertising across video on demand, online video, radio, out of home posters and social media. This will be supported by partnerships across a range of sectors including retailers, nursery providers and charities. Activity will be upweighted to key low uptake communities and geographical areas across the country.Ahead of the launch, NHS England is hosting vaccine confidence sessions for health care workers to help them have vaccine conversations and address questions or concerns with parents and carers.Communications toolkits and assets will be issued to primary care teams across all regions to support the launch of the MMRV programme, which includes material for parents and carers on the new vaccination programme.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to bring schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 into force in England.

The Government is strongly committed to improving the implementation of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and we are looking at what additional steps might be taken to support this. Better delivery of SuDS may be achieved by continuing to improve the current planning policy-based approach and looking at ways of improving the approach to adoption and maintenance, rather than commencing schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. A final decision on this matter will be made in the coming months. We have made some immediate changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to support increased delivery of SuDS. The NPPF now requires all development to utilise SuDS where they could have drainage impacts. These systems should be appropriate to the nature and scale of the proposed development. See paragraphs 181 and 182 of the NPPF. In June this year, the Government introduced new national standards, making clear that SuDS should be designed to cope with changing climatic conditions as well as delivering wider water infrastructure benefits in the form of flood prevention and storm overflow reduction, offering reuse opportunities, reducing run off, and helping to improve water quality, amenity, and biodiversity.

Whether she has made representations to (a) Eurocontrol and (b) other relevant European bodies on the delays at UK airports caused by inadequate air traffic control (i) staffing levels and (ii) out-of-date systems.

The UK is a member of EUROCONTROL, a Pan-European inter-governmental body, which is responsible for working with Member States and their Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSP’s) to ensure that the airspace across Europe is used efficiently. My department has and continues to engage with European states and industry to discuss air traffic control capacity and mitigations to delays which impact UK airspace users and passengers.