Written questions by Snowden.

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department plans to take to protect people's (a) biometric and (b) personal data in any future digital ID scheme.

Privacy and security are integral to the Government’s proposals. People’s privacy and data will be protected in line with the UK’s data protection laws as well as using state-of-the-art encryption and authentication technology that’s already protecting millions of digital transactions daily - in the same way banking apps do. The Government will launch a public consultation on the new digital ID by the end of the year, which will seek views on the design, build and delivery of the system. The Government will work closely with expert stakeholders, including the Information Commissioner’s Office and the National Cyber Security Centre, to make the programme as effective and secure as possible.

Innovation and Technology, whether her Department has made an assessment of financial risk for the introduction of digital ID cards.

The Government will launch a public consultation on the new digital ID by the end of the year. The eventual total cost and savings will depend on the design, build and delivery of the system, matters which will be included in the consultation. We expect the programme to be designed, built and run by in-house Government teams, not outsourced to external suppliers. In the event any specialist external services or expertise are procured to support the delivery of the new digital ID system, this will be subject to all the usual competitive processes to ensure transparency, and value for the taxpayer.

Innovation and Technology, whether the Government has conducted an Equality Impact Assessment of the introduction of digital ID cards.

The Government will deliver a comprehensive inclusion programme to help ensure everyone eligible is able to access the new digital ID.The Government will launch a public consultation on the new digital ID by the end of the year, setting out the proposed approach in more detail and seeking views on this. Views from the consultation will be used to inform future assessments on the impact on equality.The Government will work closely with expert stakeholders from a range of organisations to make the programme as effective and inclusive as possible.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she plans to take to ensure value for money in procurement contracts related to digital ID.

The Government will launch a public consultation on the new digital ID by the end of the year. The eventual total cost and savings will depend on the design, build and delivery of the system, matters which will be included in the consultation. We expect the programme to be designed, built and run by in-house Government teams, not outsourced to external suppliers. In the event any specialist external services or expertise are procured to support the delivery of the new digital ID system, this will be subject to all the usual competitive processes to ensure transparency, and value for the taxpayer.

Innovation and Technology, what engagement his Department has had with (a) teachers and (b) trade unions on the introduction of digital ID cards.

The Government will launch a public consultation on the new digital ID by the end of the year and has begun engaging with several key stakeholders already. We will continue to engage with a range of organisations over the coming weeks and months, including as part of the consultation to be launched by the end of this year. Throughout the development of the new digital ID, the Government will work closely with expert stakeholders to make it as effective and inclusive as possible.

Communities and Local Government, how many people have been denied access to social housing waiting lists due to previously unlawfully subletting social housing in the last year.

My Department does not hold data on the number of people who have been denied access to social housing waiting lists due to previously unlawfully subletting social housing in the last year.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of postural tachycardia syndrome on people’s ability to work.

Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS) can significantly limit a person's ability to work, though the degree of impact will vary among individuals. For some, symptoms are debilitating and prevent them from working entirely, while others can work with adjustments in place. A person's ability to work will depend on the severity of their symptoms and the demands of the job.The Government is committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including people with PoTS, with their employment journey. We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems.The 10-Year Health Plan, published in July 2025, set out our intention to break down barriers to opportunity by delivering the holistic support that people need to access and thrive in employment by ensuring a better health service for everyone, regardless of condition or service area. The Plan sets out the vision for what good joined-up care looks like for people with a combination of health and care needs, including for disabled people and those with long-term conditions. Furthermore, it outlines how the neighbourhood health service will join up support from across the work, health and skills systems to help address the multiple complex challenges that often stop people finding and staying in work.

What support is available through the NHS for patients with postural tachycardia syndrome requiring (a) ongoing management and (b) rehabilitation.

We are investing in additional capacity to deliver appointments to help bring waiting lists and times down. The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the specific productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the constitutional standard, that 92% of patients to wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029.Additionally, the shifts outlined in our 10-Year Health Plan will free up hospital-based consultants’ time by shifting care from hospitals to communities, utilising digital technology to reduce administrative burdens, and promoting prevention to reduce the onset and severity of conditions that lead to hospital admissions. This includes expanding community-based services, employing artificial intelligence for productivity, developing integrated neighbourhood health teams, and investing in digital tools and data. These shifts will allow specialists to focus on more complex cases of postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS), enabling earlier identification and management, and improved patient outcomes.The Department funds health and care research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR has supported a broad portfolio of research into long COVID, including understanding the links between long COVID and PoTS. The £3.35 million LOng COvid Multidisciplinary consortium: Optimising Treatments and servIces acrOss the NHS, or LOCOMOTION, study confirmed that people with long COVID are more likely than others to have orthostatic intolerance, and that these problems are relatively common.

What criteria were used by his Department to select the chosen sites for the Great British Energy solar scheme.

Schools were selected by the Department for Education (DfE), primarily clustered in three areas of deprivation, with at least ten schools in each region to ensure geographical spread. Selection was based on criteria including levels of deprivation, available roof space, and location. Each cluster includes a further education college working with appointed contractors to promote careers in renewables and support workforce growth. NHS sites were selected following an open invitation from NHS England for Trusts to submit expressions of interest. Projects were prioritised based on delivery confidence and expected economic and environmental impact. These are being managed through the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

What proportion of the £75 million allocated to Great British Energy solar panels will be spent on (a) administrative and (b) consultancy costs.

The GBE Solar Scheme is a jointly funded scheme between GBE and the UK government. £75 million capital spending was allocated to the scheme earlier this month boosting the £180 million joint capital funding by HM Government and GBE, initially launched in March 2025. For the Department for Education detailed costing information is not yet available but there is expected to be very little if any administrative and consultancy costs within the budget. For the Department for Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Defence all funding will be spent on procurement and installation of solar photovoltaic systems and any complementary technologies where appropriate.

Communities and Local Government, how many First Homes properties have been built; and how many are due to be built by 2030.

Up to March 2024, 395 First Homes have been delivered through Section 106 developer contributions, and a further 1,275 through the Early Delivery Programme. This totals 1,670 First Homes altogether. These figures are published in the Live tables on affordable housing supply (Table 1011) which can be found on gov.uk here. Local authorities are not required to report First Homes delivery separately, so these figures represent the most current data available. Since the removal of the national minimum delivery requirement, local authorities now have discretion over whether to deliver First Homes, and if so, how many. This flexibility allows them to prioritise housing tenures that better meet local needs, such as Social Rent, Affordable Rent and Shared Ownership. As a result, my Department does not hold data on future delivery and cannot provide an estimate of how many First Homes will be built by 2030. Delivery decisions rest with individual local authorities.

Pursuant to the Answer of 22 September 2025 to Question 73120 on HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Data Protection, how many people whose cases may have been affected have (a) been identified and (b) been notified and (c) have yet to be contacted.

His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has expanded its checks using new digital tools to analyse the full period affected – covering around 700,000 cases – to determine whether any were impacted and to what extent. Based on the first phase of this additional assurance work, which reviewed a sample of 455 potentially affected cases, one has been found to be missing a document where the judge has confirmed it could have affected the case outcome. The parties involved have been contacted directly and offered the opportunity to request that the decision be set aside and the case reheard. As the assurance work continues, HMCTS will contact any additional parties whose case outcomes may have been affected.The CEO of HMCTS will write to the Justice Select Committee once the assurance process concludes, setting out the total number of affected cases, parties contacted, and outcome of any follow-up action.The Department remains committed to transparency and to safeguarding the integrity of judicial decision-making. Since the response provided on 22 September 2025, the Ministry of Justice has been conducting an internal assessment of the HMCTS Core Case Data issue.

Communities and Local Government, whether he will consider introducing a statutory duty for local planning authorities to provide technical assistance to groups preparing neighbourhood plans.

Neighbourhood Plans which have passed referenda have statutory weight and form part of the development plan. The government remains of the view that neighbourhood plans can play an important role in the planning system. Communities can continue to prepare neighbourhood plans where they consider doing so is in their best interests. Neighbourhood planning groups have received over £71 million since 2013. This support has created a network of planners and groups who have the skills and expertise to prepare neighbourhood plans and to help other communities to do so. Local planning authorities have an existing duty under Paragraph 3 of Schedule 4B to the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to provide advice and assistance to neighbourhood planning groups. They can also, at their discretion taking into account their constituents’ needs and priorities, provide funding in support of neighbourhood plan preparation. As of the end of September 2025, the department was aware of c.1850 made neighbourhood plans in England. The Department is aware of 23 neighbourhood plans which have been adopted in Lancashire since 2015, of which 2 were in the Fylde constituency.

What estimate he has made of the number of military families who will be affected by the Forces First approach in each of the next three years.

The Forces First approach will mean more Service personnel have access to the high-quality homes and home-ownership opportunities they deserve and will form part of the upcoming Defence Housing Strategy. This approach will be applied by agreement with local authorities and development partners on a site-by-site basis, so it is not possible to currently estimate the number of military families who will benefit in future years. A trailblazer for this approach is already underway at Ministry of Defence (MOD) Feltham in South-West London, where the MOD, the London Borough of Hounslow and the Greater London Authority have agreed to adopt a Forces First approach as part of a groundbreaking partnership to develop the site. Once vacated, this new development alone is expected to deliver hundreds of homes and jobs.

Whether his Department has commissioned research on the incidence of postural tachycardia syndrome in patients with long covid.

We are investing in additional capacity to deliver appointments to help bring waiting lists and times down. The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the specific productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the constitutional standard, that 92% of patients to wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029.Additionally, the shifts outlined in our 10-Year Health Plan will free up hospital-based consultants’ time by shifting care from hospitals to communities, utilising digital technology to reduce administrative burdens, and promoting prevention to reduce the onset and severity of conditions that lead to hospital admissions. This includes expanding community-based services, employing artificial intelligence for productivity, developing integrated neighbourhood health teams, and investing in digital tools and data. These shifts will allow specialists to focus on more complex cases of postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS), enabling earlier identification and management, and improved patient outcomes.The Department funds health and care research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR has supported a broad portfolio of research into long COVID, including understanding the links between long COVID and PoTS. The £3.35 million LOng COvid Multidisciplinary consortium: Optimising Treatments and servIces acrOss the NHS, or LOCOMOTION, study confirmed that people with long COVID are more likely than others to have orthostatic intolerance, and that these problems are relatively common.

What estimate she has made of the total value of funds likely to be recovered through the Voluntary repayment of Covid-19 funding scheme by 31 December 2025.

This government is leaving no stone unturned to investigate and recover public funds lost to fraud and error during the pandemic - getting back what is owed to the British people. At the recommendation of the Covid Counter Fraud Commissioner, the government launched the Voluntary Repayment Scheme on September 12th. The scheme is one element in a wider package of measures recommended by the Commissioner and will provide crucial learnings for his final report. The Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA) has not made an estimate of the value of funds likely to be recovered. The scheme is subject to uncertainty due to its novel nature, the time elapsed since the pandemic, and the time it takes for departments to report recovery success back to the PSFA. However, the PSFA will undertake a comprehensive assessment of the scheme’s impact once it’s concluded. The scheme will continue to provide individuals who received money from COVID-19 support schemes which they did not need or were not eligible for, an opportunity to repay until December 2025, before the introduction of new investigatory powers in the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) availability and (b) take-up of the covid-19 vaccine for eligible people in the latest period for which data is available.

Vaccine availability is monitored as part of standard operational practice across the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), NHS England, and the devolved administrations. The UKHSA collects and analyses data from the vaccination programmes to understand the impact, effectiveness, and any inequalities.The UKHSA has procured COVID-19 vaccines for the upcoming season in line with uptake forecasts received from all four nations of the United Kingdom. Based on procured volumes, it is expected that there is sufficient COVID-19 vaccine available for those eligible to receive a vaccine across the current autumn and winter campaigns. People aged 75 years old and over, those in older adult care homes, and those aged six months old and over who are immunosuppressed are eligible.During the spring 2025 campaign, 60% of those aged 75 years old or over received the COVID-19 vaccine, as did 24.5% of those aged under 75 years old who also have a suppressed immune system. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports-2025-to-2026-seasonIt is too early in the autumn 2025 campaign to provide coverage data.

Communities and Local Government, what (a) support and (b) resources his Department has provided to (i) parish and (ii) town councils to help support the preparation of neighbourhood plans.

Neighbourhood Plans which have passed referenda have statutory weight and form part of the development plan. The government remains of the view that neighbourhood plans can play an important role in the planning system. Communities can continue to prepare neighbourhood plans where they consider doing so is in their best interests. Neighbourhood planning groups have received over £71 million since 2013. This support has created a network of planners and groups who have the skills and expertise to prepare neighbourhood plans and to help other communities to do so. Local planning authorities have an existing duty under Paragraph 3 of Schedule 4B to the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to provide advice and assistance to neighbourhood planning groups. They can also, at their discretion taking into account their constituents’ needs and priorities, provide funding in support of neighbourhood plan preparation. As of the end of September 2025, the department was aware of c.1850 made neighbourhood plans in England. The Department is aware of 23 neighbourhood plans which have been adopted in Lancashire since 2015, of which 2 were in the Fylde constituency.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with Ofcom on the potential impact of its Passive Infrastructure Access pricing model on the economic viability of rural gigabit-capable broadband network builds.

As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector, including on the Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product.For this reason, while my officials are engaging with Ofcom on this issue, the Department has not made any specific assessment of the merits of introducing fiscal incentives to reduce how much rural operators pay for PIA.My officials are regularly engaging with Ofcom to ensure that we have the right regulatory environment in place to promote competition and investment in the fibre roll-out.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to protect swans.

In England all wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, including Swans. This makes it an offence to kill, injure or take wild birds and to take or damage their eggs and nests.Defra supports the valuable work of the National Wildlife Crime Unit and is a principal funder. The unit helps to prevent and detect wildlife crime (including crimes against swans) by obtaining and disseminating intelligence, undertaking analysis, and directly assisting law enforcers in their investigations.