Written questions by Snowden.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending eligibility for energy support schemes to residential park home residents who are not connected to the gas grid.

The Warm Home Discount provides a £150 rebate off energy bills to eligible low-income households through their electricity supplier. As residential park home residents usually do not have a domestic electricity supplier, they are unable to receive this support. However, residential park home residents can apply for the £150 Charis Park Homes Warm Home Discount Scheme; the 2025/26 scheme will reopen in late August 2025. Following our recent consultation on expanding the Warm Home Discount scheme, the Charis Park Home Discount Scheme will not be changed. The Government has expanded the Household Support Fund in England for a further year until 31 March 2026 with an extra £742 million in support, with additional funding for the Devolved Governments through the Barnett formula. Park home residents struggling with their bills can contact their local authority to see if they are eligible for this support. The current Warm Home Discount scheme Regulations end in March 2026. We will consult on options for the next scheme period in the autumn.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to (a) restrict and (b) regulate unsolicited doorstep cold calling in residential areas.

Conducted properly, trading from door to door or conducting business in a consumer’s home can be a legitimate form of business, provided traders observe the legislation regulating the practice. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 updates existing protections that prohibit traders from engaging in aggressive or misleading commercial practices, including harassment, high pressure-selling techniques, coercion or undue influence against consumers. Traders are banned from ignoring a request from a consumer to leave or not return to the consumer’s home. Residents can collectively ask their local Trading Standards services to set up ‘No cold calling zones’, which are designed to prohibit uninvited callers.

Communities and Local Government, if she will commission a review of the (a) fairness, (b) transparency and (c) compliance with consumer protection standards of the (i) resale, (ii) marketing and (iii) contractual arrangement practices of residential park home site operators.

The Mobile Homes Act 1983 sets out the contractual obligations for park home residents and site owners and the processes for buying and selling park homes. The Act also bans the use of certain site rules including those which prevent a resident from marketing or selling their home. If a site owner breaches the legislation or fails to meet any of their obligations, a resident has a right to apply to the First Tier Tribunal for a determination. Additional protections for consumers purchasing goods and services are set out in consumer rights legislation. We are also continuing to support park home residents with free independent advice about their rights and how to enforce them, through the government-funded Leasehold Advisory Service. The government is committed to improving the standards of park home site management and supporting local authorities to ensure site managers are fit and proper persons. We will continue to keep the effectiveness of relevant regulations under review. We recognise that there are longstanding concerns about the requirement to pay site owners a commission upon sale of a park home. The previous government published a report in June 2022 on the impact of a change in the maximum park home sale commission. It can be found on gov.uk here. We will set out plans in due course to seek further evidence from the sector on the rationale for the commission.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of existing consumer protections of residential park home owners.

The Mobile Homes Act 1983 sets out the contractual obligations for park home residents and site owners and the processes for buying and selling park homes. The Act also bans the use of certain site rules including those which prevent a resident from marketing or selling their home. If a site owner breaches the legislation or fails to meet any of their obligations, a resident has a right to apply to the First Tier Tribunal for a determination. Additional protections for consumers purchasing goods and services are set out in consumer rights legislation. We are also continuing to support park home residents with free independent advice about their rights and how to enforce them, through the government-funded Leasehold Advisory Service. The government is committed to improving the standards of park home site management and supporting local authorities to ensure site managers are fit and proper persons. We will continue to keep the effectiveness of relevant regulations under review. We recognise that there are longstanding concerns about the requirement to pay site owners a commission upon sale of a park home. The previous government published a report in June 2022 on the impact of a change in the maximum park home sale commission. It can be found on gov.uk here. We will set out plans in due course to seek further evidence from the sector on the rationale for the commission.

What steps his Department is taking to help protect people from unsolicited doorstep cold calling.

Conducted properly, trading from door to door or conducting business in a consumer’s home can be a legitimate form of business, provided traders observe the legislation regulating the practice. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 updates existing protections that prohibit traders from engaging in aggressive or misleading commercial practices, including harassment, high pressure-selling techniques, coercion or undue influence against consumers. Traders are banned from ignoring a request from a consumer to leave or not return to the consumer’s home. Residents can collectively ask their local Trading Standards services to set up ‘No cold calling zones’, which are designed to prohibit uninvited callers.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of current regulations on residential park home site operators to ensure the (a) equitable treatment and (b) protection of residents.

The Mobile Homes Act 1983 sets out the contractual obligations for park home residents and site owners and the processes for buying and selling park homes. The Act also bans the use of certain site rules including those which prevent a resident from marketing or selling their home. If a site owner breaches the legislation or fails to meet any of their obligations, a resident has a right to apply to the First Tier Tribunal for a determination. Additional protections for consumers purchasing goods and services are set out in consumer rights legislation. We are also continuing to support park home residents with free independent advice about their rights and how to enforce them, through the government-funded Leasehold Advisory Service. The government is committed to improving the standards of park home site management and supporting local authorities to ensure site managers are fit and proper persons. We will continue to keep the effectiveness of relevant regulations under review. We recognise that there are longstanding concerns about the requirement to pay site owners a commission upon sale of a park home. The previous government published a report in June 2022 on the impact of a change in the maximum park home sale commission. It can be found on gov.uk here. We will set out plans in due course to seek further evidence from the sector on the rationale for the commission.

When she plans to publish details of the Growth and Skills levy for businesses.

This government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will offer greater flexibility to employers and learners and support the industrial strategy.From August 2025, the department will be introducing new foundation apprenticeships for young people in targeted sectors, as well as shorter duration apprenticeships. These flexibilities will help more people learn new, high-quality skills at work and fuel innovation in businesses across the country.From April 2026, the department will also be introducing short courses in areas such as digital, artificial intelligence and engineering as part of the growth and skills offer.The department will set out more detail on the growth and skills offer in due course.

Whether the Growth and Skills Levy will be of the same value as the Apprenticeship Levy; and whether that levy will apply to companies paying over £3 million in wages.

The Government is reforming the Apprenticeship Levy into a Growth and Skills Levy. Alongside existing high-quality apprenticeship routes, this will enable employers in England to invest in a broader range of high-quality training, including foundation apprenticeships and short courses in priority sectors. Skills England, a new national skills organisation, will consult a wide range of partners to ensure that levy-funded training meets the needs of employers, providers, and learners, and delivers good value for money. These reforms focus on expanding the types of training that employers in England can fund through the Levy. There are no plans to change the way employers pay the UK-wide Apprenticeship Levy. The levy will continue to be paid by all UK employers with an annual pay bill over £3 million, at a rate of 0.5 per cent. All taxes are kept under review as part of the Government’s tax policy making process.

Whether he plans to publish force-level recruitment figures for neighbourhood policing roles.

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will deliver 13,000 additional policing personnel into neighbourhood teams by the end of this parliament, including 3000 additional neighbourhood officers by Spring 2026. All forces have agreed their delivery plans, and force-level recruitment projections are published here: Neighbourhood policing grant allocations and projections: 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK..The number of neighbourhood police personnel as of 31 March 2025 will be published in the Home Office’s upcoming biannual ‘Police Workforce Statistics, England and Wales’ publication. This release will provide a comprehensive overview of force-level workforce composition.We will publish progress against neighbourhood policing force delivery plans in due course.

What steps her Department is taking to help improve educational outcomes for young people educated at home.

All children deserve an education that allows them to achieve and thrive, whether they are educated at school or otherwise.The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill includes a package of measures to support children not in school, including those who are home educated. Mandatory Children Not in School registers in every local authority in England and Wales, will help improve outcomes for home educated children by supporting local authorities to identify all children not in school in their areas. Measures to make the School Attendance Order process more efficient will minimise the length of time that any child may spend receiving an unsuitable education, thus improving outcomes for children where home education is not working.The Bill also introduces the first ever duty on local authorities to provide support for home educating families on their registers, upon request ensuring those families have access to reliable advice and information on their child’s education.

What steps her Department is taking to (a) help improve (i) public confidence and (ii) perceptions of fairness in policing and (b) measure progress on the implementation of the measures set out in the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.

This Government’s Safer Streets mission is focused on restoring neighbourhood policing, halving serious violence and rebuilding trust and confidence in policing and the criminal justice system.The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee was developed through close working with the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) and other policing leads, and we continue to work closely with them to ensure it is delivered across all police forces in England and Wales.The Home Office has also worked with the College of Policing and the NPCC to develop a performance framework which outlines to forces and the public the performance measures which are being assessed to monitor the progress of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.The framework is attached at the following link Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee performance framework - GOV.UK

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of making frontline health and social care workers eligible for the autumn 2025 covid-19 vaccination programme.

The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). On 13 November 2024, the JCVI published advice on the COVID-19 vaccination programme for spring 2025, autumn 2025, and spring 2026. This advice is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-in-2025-and-spring-2026-jcvi-advice/jcvi-statement-on-covid-19-vaccination-in-2025-and-spring-2026On 26 June 2025, the Government accepted the JCVI’s advice that for autumn 2025, a COVID-19 vaccination should be offered to adults aged 75 years old and over, residents in care homes for older adults, and the immunosuppressed aged six months old and over.In line with JCVI’s advice, frontline health and social care workers (HSCWs) and staff working in care homes for older adults will not be eligible for COVID-19 vaccination under the national programme for autumn 2025. This is following an extensive review by the JCVI of the scientific evidence surrounding the impact of vaccination on the transmission of the virus from HSCWs to patients, protection of HSCWs against symptoms of the disease, and staff sickness absences.In the current era of high population immunity to COVID-19, additional COVID-19 doses provide very limited, if any, protection against infection and any subsequent onward transmission of infection. For HSCWs, this means that COVID-19 vaccination likely now has only a very limited impact on reducing staff sickness absence. Therefore, the focus of the programme is now on those at greatest risk of serious disease and who are therefore most likely to benefit from vaccination. HSCWs who are otherwise eligible, for example because of their own health conditions, will continue to be offered the vaccine as part of the National Health Service programme.

How many additional (a) neighbourhood police officers, (b) police community support officers and (c) special constables have been recruited since the start of this Parliament.

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will deliver 13,000 additional policing personnel into neighbourhood teams by the end of this parliament, including 3000 additional neighbourhood officers by Spring 2026. All forces have agreed their delivery plans, and force-level recruitment projections are published here: Neighbourhood policing grant allocations and projections: 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK..The number of neighbourhood police personnel as of 31 March 2025 will be published in the Home Office’s upcoming biannual ‘Police Workforce Statistics, England and Wales’ publication. This release will provide a comprehensive overview of force-level workforce composition.We will publish progress against neighbourhood policing force delivery plans in due course.

How many police forces have (a) appointed a dedicated antisocial behaviour lead, (b) established an antisocial behaviour action plan and (c) increased patrols in hotspot areas.

Tackling anti-social behaviour and the harm it causes is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. The Government’s Plan for Change details our commitment to reduce ASB, including that every police force in England and Wales will have a dedicated lead officer by the end of July, who will work with communities to develop a local ASB action plan.I am pleased to confirm all dedicated ASB lead officers are now in place and will be developing local action plans as soon as possible.We are also delivering on our commitment to restore and strengthen neighbourhood policing, ensuring thousands of additional police officers and police community support officers are out patrolling in our town centres and communities to make the streets safer. As part of the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, £200 million has been allocated to forces for 2025/26 to support this commitment. Lancashire Constabulary has been allocated £5,090,296 and will deliver an increase of 53 police officers and 30 PCSOs by 31 March 2026.The Home Office is also providing £66.3millon funding in 2025-26 to forces in England and Wales to deliver high visibility patrols in the areas worst affected by knife crime, serious violence and anti-social behaviour. Lancashire Constabulary will receive £1,713,512 of this funding.

What recent progress she has made in recruiting 6500 new teachers.

The department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across secondary and special schools, and in our colleges, over the course of this Parliament.We have made significant progress on this pledge. The workforce has grown by 2,346 full time employed staff in secondary and special schools between 2023/24 and 2024/25 and our future school teacher pipeline is also growing. As of June 2025, there are 12% more trainees who have accepted offers to train as secondary teachers, and in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, acceptances are up 25% compared to last year.The recent spending review will further support delivery of this key pledge, providing an above-inflation increase to our core schools budget of £4.2 billion additional funding by 2028/29, and a substantial investment in skills, with over £1 billion of additional funding by 2028/29.

What steps her Department is taking to increase the teaching of CPR in schools.

All state-funded schools in England are required to teach first aid as part of statutory health education, which is taught as part of relationships, sex and health education (RSHE). It includes basic first aid and dealing with common injuries, such as head injuries. Pupils in secondary schools are taught further first aid, for example how to administer CPR and the purpose of defibrillators. Schools can teach topics beyond those covered in the statutory guidance and have flexibility to respond to local issues.We are currently reviewing the statutory RSHE curriculum, which includes considering whether any additional content is needed, and will be publishing revised guidance shortly.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to support the conservation of native red squirrel populations.

The Government is committed to taking action to recover our threatened native species, including red squirrels, especially through the delivery of our biodiversity targets, which will benefit many of our native species including red squirrels.We know that red squirrel decline is being driven by the squirrel pox virus, habitat availability and competition from non-native grey squirrels. To address these pressures, we are supporting research into grey squirrel fertility and have put management measures in place to control grey squirrels to aid red squirrel conservation.We are considering how to go further to reduce the impacts of grey squirrels on our woodlands and red squirrel populations and shall have an update in due course.

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.