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 941–960 of 2,214 · this parliament
If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reopening the Poulton-le-Fylde to Fleetwood rail line.
Business case development from 2023 found a tram-train solution as the most promising option to connect Fleetwood and Poulton-le-Fylde, but it offered “poor” value for money. No further DfT funding has been prioritised in this Spending Review. It is now for Lancashire County Combined Authority to decide whether to prioritise further work.
Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that neighbourhood plans are given due weight in planning decisions.
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 clean energy jobs created by the Great British Energy solar programme to date.
The Great British Energy Solar scheme is part of a wider initiative to deliver affordable, homegrown power and support clean energy job creation across the UK. Backed by £255 million in government investment, GBE Solar is delivering rooftop solar to hundreds of schools, NHS trusts, and military sites, reducing energy bills and supporting public services, especially in deprived areas. While we are currently unable to estimate the number of jobs attributable to the scheme, GBE Solar is directly contributing to workforce growth in renewables and construction, including skilled roles in installation and maintenance, and is working with further education colleges to promote careers in clean energy.
Pursuant to the Answer of 22 September 2025 to Question 73115 on HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Data Protection, whether her Department will commission an independent review to verify that there has been no impact on case outcomes to date.
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.
Pursuant to the Answer of 22 September 2025 to Question 73118 on Social Security and Child Support Tribunal: ICT, whether her Department has undertaken retrospective sampling of closed cases to assess for undetected outcome-affecting errors arising from the IT failure.
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.
Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has made an assessment of the role of social media in (a) improving and (b) undermining community cohesion.
While social media can play an important role in society, it is unacceptable that people use it to spread hate and threaten our communities. Ofcom and DSIT use data and evidence to understand how potentially harmful content is encountered on social media, and the impacts this has on users. This includes users' experience of hate speech, disinformation, and content promoting terrorism, extremism, and radicalization, which can all undermine social cohesion.The government engages with social media companies to make clear their responsibility to keep users safe, and with local authorities and communities to monitor the issues affecting cohesion, and work closely with them to bridge division and challenge hatred.
What engagement her Department has had with police representative bodies on the introduction of digital ID cards.
The Digital ID programme is part of a broader strategy to tackle illegal immigration. By making it harder for people without the right to work to gain employment, the government plans to reduce incentives for unlawful entry. Mandating digital ID for right to work checks will strengthen our current approach by:o Acting as a deterrent to would-be migrants hoping to work in the UK illegally.o Ensuring consistency and simplifying the checks that employers must carry out, making it easier for UK citizens and legal residents to demonstrate they have the right to work.o Removing the reliance on physical documents in the UK, making it harder for forged documents to be used as proof of right to work. The Government will start 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 as we prepare the consultation. Police representative bodies will have the opportunity to contribute to the consultation process.
Whether the Fair Work Charter provisions will be statutory.
Further details on the potential implementation of a Fair Work Charter will be included in the government’s response to the consultation on reforms to the Clean Industry Bonus ahead of Allocation Round 8. The Clean Energy Superpower Mission will create opportunities for good, secure, skilled jobs. Government has recently published its full approach to delivering good quality jobs in the Clean Energy Jobs Plan.
What discussions his Department has had with the Competition and Markets Authority on the provision of consumer information to users of (a) Ticketmaster and (b) similar ticket platforms.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is the UK’s independent competition authority and is independent of government. The department holds regular discussions with the CMA on consumer issues, including as part of its consultation on ticket resale and call for evidence on pricing practices for live events.The CMA is subject to statutory rules around the disclosure of information about individual companies. Following the conclusion of the investigation and public announcement, the department has discussed the outcome and undertakings secured from Ticketmaster with the CMA. Further information about this case is published on the CMA’s website.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of levels of immigration on patterns of social cohesion.
The Home Office will increase existing English language requirements for economic migrants and introduce new English language requirements for dependants of those coming under economic routes.These measures support the integration of those coming here to work here (and their families) into UK communities, as well; as ensuring that those coming to work here are less vulnerable to abuse and exploitation in the workplace.
How many people were reported missing in each of the last five years.
The Home Office does not hold this data centrally.Information about current missing persons incidents is held by individual police forces. The National Crime Agency’s UK Missing Persons Unit holds the national database for all missing incidents that are unresolved after 72hours, allowing the police to have access to missing persons information across force boundaries. In addition, annual missing persons statistics, broken down to police force level, are published by the National Crime Agency’s Missing Person’s Unit in its annual data report which can be found here: Downloads - National Crime Agency
How many local (a) suppliers and (b) contractors have been engaged in the delivery of the (i) single living accommodation and (ii) solar projects at Weeton Barracks.
New Single Living Accommodation (SLA) at Weeton Barracks is currently being delivered through the Ministry of Defence’ Future Defence Infrastructure Services contractor, VIVO. VIVO as the principal contractor, engages with sub-contractors who need to demonstrate how they will meet social value criteria including tackling economic inequality, tackling workforce inequality, and utilising support from local Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, where appropriate. For the Weeton project, the workforce for the on-site construction was drawn from the local area to support employment and the local economy. Contractor Mitie were appointed to deliver the solar project at Weeton Barracks. Mitie’s policy for sourcing local suppliers and contractors is driven by commitment to sustainability and social value, aiming to increase supply chain resilience and local economic support.
What comparative assessment he has made of the (a) design, (b) sustainability and (c) cost per bedspace of the single living accommodation under construction at (i) Weeton Barracks and (ii) other recently built single living accommodation across the Army estate.
Weeton Barracks is in the first wave of the Army’s Single Living Accommodation (SLA) upgrade programmes since the Single Living Accommodation Management (SLAM) Programme completed in 2017. The building complies with the Government’s Net Zero Carbon Strategy, the UK Infrastructure 10-Year Strategy and tackles the recommendations of the National Audit Office Report: Improving Single Living Accommodation February 2021. Cost efficiency is a key driver of Defence’s procurement strategy for the SLA programme, and all tenders are reviewed, benchmarked and assured against market data to ensure value for money is delivered to meet the performance specifications.
With reference to the press release entitled Military families and veterans prioritised in ‘forces first’ housing scheme, published on 29 September 2025, whether the planned 100,000 homes on surplus land will be in addition to existing Government housebuilding targets.
The Defence Secretary has identified the long-term potential for 100,000 homes on Ministry of Defence (MOD) surplus land, demonstrating the opportunity for MOD to contribute to the Government’s important housebuilding ambitions. A new approach to realising this opportunity will be set out in the Defence Housing Strategy later this year.
Communities and Local Government, what mechanisms will evaluate the Pride in Place programme at the local level.
This government is committed to taking a comprehensive approach to evaluating the Pride in Place Programme, including the impacts felt by funded communities. We will publish an Outcomes and Evaluation strategy in due course, which will set out more detail on what the evaluation will include.
Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to (a) update ate the integrated communities strategy and (b) publish a revised action plan.
This Government has recently launched its Pride in Place strategy, which represents a significant step change in how we support communities, focusing on three overarching objectives: building stronger communities; creating thriving places; and helping communities to take back control of their own lives and areas. It represents a break from the past, a new way for government to work in partnership with communities and neighbourhoods, empowering them with the tools and levers to drive meaningful change that reflects their priorities. The Pride in Place programme will provide up to £5bn over 10 years to support up to 244 places. This will serve as the cornerstone of this Government’s support for communities, incorporating the existing 25 trailblazer areas announced at Spending Review and the 75 Plan for Neighbourhoods programme areas that were announced in March.
Communities and Local Government, whether guidance will be issued to Pride in Place boards on ensuring community engagement in funding decisions.
The Pride in Place Programme will give 244 of the most in-need places across Great Britain up to £20m funding and support over the next decade. Communities will decide how to invest this funding, with residents, community leaders and local businesses coming together to make decisions about how this funding is spent on newly established Neighbourhood Boards. We will publish further guidance shortly which will set clear expectations for Neighbourhood Boards to involve their surrounding community in decision-making to ensure the funding delivers the change local people want to see.
Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help football clubs prepare for the introduction of the Independent Football Regulator.
Following Royal Assent of the Football Governance Act, every effort is being made to ensure that the Independent Football Regulator is up and running as soon as possible. Consistent and extensive engagement has been maintained with football clubs and competition owners throughout the passage of the Football Governance Act. The Department will continue to meet with key stakeholders as the focus transitions to the implementation of the new regime. The Regulator itself is helping prepare the industry for the implementation of the Act. It has started consulting on how the new regime will work and undertaken its first conference to explain how the Regulator will operate, where all clubs from the Premier League to the National League were invited.
What the current average waiting time is from referral to treatment for prostate cancer patients in each NHS trust.
We recognise that there is more to be done to ensure that patients have timely access to diagnosis and treatment, and we remain committed to diagnosing all cancer types earlier, including prostate cancer.The Government has invested £16 million towards the Prostate Cancer UK-led TRANSFORM screening trial, which is seeking to find ways to catch prostate cancer in men as early as possible.The Department will publish a National Cancer Plan which will include details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients in England, speed up diagnosis and treatment, and ensure patients have access to the latest treatments and technology. Having consulted with key stakeholders and patient groups, the plan will be published early in the new year.Information on the current average waiting time from referral to treatment for prostate cancer in each National Health Service trust is not held centrally. However, we do publish data on the number of people receiving treatment for cancer, broken down by cancer type and including prostate cancer, compared to the 62-day standard. This data is published monthly, and a copy of the latest publication is attached.
What steps his Department is taking to help improve early diagnosis rates for prostate cancer.
We recognise that there is more to be done to ensure that patients have timely access to diagnosis and treatment, and we remain committed to diagnosing all cancer types earlier, including prostate cancer.The Government has invested £16 million towards the Prostate Cancer UK-led TRANSFORM screening trial, which is seeking to find ways to catch prostate cancer in men as early as possible.The Department will publish a National Cancer Plan which will include details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients in England, speed up diagnosis and treatment, and ensure patients have access to the latest treatments and technology. Having consulted with key stakeholders and patient groups, the plan will be published early in the new year.Information on the current average waiting time from referral to treatment for prostate cancer in each National Health Service trust is not held centrally. However, we do publish data on the number of people receiving treatment for cancer, broken down by cancer type and including prostate cancer, compared to the 62-day standard. This data is published monthly, and a copy of the latest publication is attached.