Andrew Snowden MP: written questions
4 Jul 2026–16 Oct 2026 · year in progress
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Our reporting years run from 4 July to 3 July, starting with the 2024 general election. They are not official parliamentary sessions. Office costs keep IPSA’s April–March financial years. Records may cover only part of a year; a missing record does not mean no work was done.
Read what this MP said, asked and contributed in Parliament.
31 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Marriage: ReformMinistry of JusticeTabled 3 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 27048More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the answer of 2nd September 2026, to question number 19530, on Marriages: Reform, whether the proposed system of checks will apply equally to all marriages regardless of the venue or type of ceremony.
Answer: As outlined in the Government’s consultation, Tying the Knot: Reforming weddings law in England and Wales, the proposed system of checks would be carried out through the civil preliminaries process. This would involve two stages: first, providing the requ...
Answered 10 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordPrison Accommodation: Fire PreventionMinistry of JusticeTabled 3 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 27040More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison cells are unfit for habitation as a result of unfit fire security doors and suitable electrics.
Answer: As of 4 September 2026, there are no prison cells deemed unfit for habitation as a result of unfit fire security doors. In relation to electrical infrastructure, 80 places are currently out of use across the prison estate.His Majesty’s Prison & Probat...
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordPrisonersMinistry of JusticeTabled 2 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26720More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people currently remain in custody serving an Imprisonment for Public Protection sentence.
Answer: The Ministry of Justice routinely publishes data on prisoners serving Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences in custody in the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly publication. The latest figures are available in Table 1.Q.14 at the follo...
Answered 10 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordOffenders: DeportationMinistry of JusticeTabled 2 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26719More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign national offenders are currently eligible for removal under the Early Removal Scheme.
Answer: Eligible Foreign National Offenders are capable of being removed under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS) once they have served at least 30% of the custodial period of their sentence and are within four years of their earliest release point.Early next year we...
Answered 10 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordPrisoners' ReleaseMinistry of JusticeTabled 2 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26717More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many victims affected by changes to release dates are not currently enrolled in the Victim Contact Scheme.
Answer: The Sentencing Act 2026 changes the proportion of a standard determinate sentence that must be served in custody before an offender is automatically released on licence. Eligible victims who have opted into the Probation Service Victim Contact Scheme will...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordPrison AccommodationMinistry of JusticeTabled 2 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26716More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what contingency plans are in place should prison capacity reach a level at which courts are unable to sentence offenders to immediate custody.
Answer: From January 2023 to September 2024, the adult male prison estate routinely operated at over 99% of capacity, however this is unsustainable and creates serious risks to the safe and effective operation of the criminal justice system.If prisons reach capac...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordPrison Accommodation: MenMinistry of JusticeTabled 2 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26715More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the risks to the operation of the criminal justice system if the adult male prison estate exceeds 99 per cent capacity.
Answer: From January 2023 to September 2024, the adult male prison estate routinely operated at over 99% of capacity, however this is unsustainable and creates serious risks to the safe and effective operation of the criminal justice system.If prisons reach capac...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordPrison AccommodationMinistry of JusticeTabled 2 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26714More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Government's plans to deliver 14,000 additional prison places by 2031.
Answer: As set out in the December 2024 10-Year Capacity Strategy, we remain committed to delivering 14,000 prison places and aim to do so by 2031. We have already delivered around 3,300 places since July 2024.The prison supply programmes contributing to the comm...
Answered 10 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordChild Arrangements OrdersMinistry of JusticeTabled 1 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26220More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, What estimate he has made of the average time taken between an application to enforce a Child Arrangements Order being issued and the court determining the application.
Answer: The Government does not hold data on the average time taken between an application to enforce a Child Arrangement Order being issued and the court determining the application. This is because applications for enforcement cannot currently be linked directl...
Answered 4 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordChild Arrangements OrdersMinistry of JusticeTabled 1 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26219More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what mechanisms are available in cases in which a Child Arrangements Order is not being complied with by one of the parties to the order.
Answer: Where there are concerns that a child arrangements order is not being complied with, parties may seek to resolve the issue by reaching agreement themselves, where it is safe and appropriate to do so. They may also use mediation or another form of alternat...
Answered 9 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordPrisons: LancashireMinistry of JusticeTabled 1 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26216More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what contractual safeguards are in place against cost overruns and delays in the construction of the new prison in Lancashire.
Answer: The contracts for the construction of all new prisons in the New Prisons Programme use the NEC4 Engineering and Construction Contract Option A, which is a priced contract with an activity schedule. This provides a high degree of cost certainty, with the c...
Answered 10 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordPrisons: LancashireMinistry of JusticeTabled 1 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26215More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what is the expected date on which the first prisoners will be accommodated at the new 1,700-place prison in Lancashire.
Answer: The new prison next to the existing HMP Garth in Lancashire is due to receive its first prisoners by December 2031. This date is based on the programmes current assessment and remains subject to change.
Answered 10 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordPrison AccommodationMinistry of JusticeTabled 1 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26214More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many additional prison places he expects to create by converting (a) offices, (b) laundry rooms, (c) storage areas and (d) other existing prison spaces into cells.
Answer: We have committed to delivering further additional prison places through converting existing prison spaces into operational cells and have bought forward £110 million of funding to deliver these. The locations at which additional places will be delivered,...
Answered 9 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordPrison AccommodationMinistry of JusticeTabled 1 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26213More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many of the 14,000 additional prison places the Government plans to deliver by 2031 have (a) been completed, (b) are under construction, (c) received planning permission and (d) yet to enter the planning proc
Answer: We are committed to delivering 14,000 additional prison places and aim to do so by 2031. Of these, around 3,300 places have been delivered since July 2024, and around a further 5,700 are under construction. The remaining places required to meet the commit...
Answered 9 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordJudges: Public AppointmentsMinistry of JusticeTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22684More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of whether the expectation that High Court judges reside in London acts as a barrier to applications from candidates based outside London and the South East.
Answer: No assessment has been made of whether the expectation that High Court Judges reside in London acts as a barrier to recruitment. High Court Judge Terms and Conditions, issued upon appointment by the Lord Chancellor, set out that their main workplace is th...
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordJudges: Public AppointmentsMinistry of JusticeTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22683More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the impact of the residential expectations placed on High Court judges on the geographical diversity of applicants for appointment.
Answer: No assessment has been made of the geographical diversity of applicants to the High Court. High Court judge Terms and Conditions, issued upon appointment by the Lord Chancellor, set out that their main workplace is the Royal Courts of Justice in London as...
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordPlanning Permission: Judicial ReviewMinistry of JusticeTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22645More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to legislate to limit the number of applications for permission to seek judicial review in relation to a single planning decision.
Answer: The Government is committed to ensuring the public can continue to challenge the lawfulness of planning decisions while making sure the process is efficient, robust and proportionate.The Government’s reforms to judicial review are intended to streamline a...
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Justice: Westminster Hall SittingsMinistry of JusticeTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22619More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an estimate of the number of hours spent (a) responding to and (b) preparing for Westminster Hall Debates by (i) government ministers, (ii) civil servants and (iii) special advisers in his Departm
Answer: It is not possible to provide an estimate for hours spent preparing Ministers to respond to Westminster Hall Debates. There will be differences in the Civil Service, Special Adviser and Ministerial time depending on the policy matter and length of the deb...
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordArson: SentencingMinistry of JusticeTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22593More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will review sentencing guidelines for people convicted of arson, in the context of increased risk of wildfires caused by extreme heat conditions.
Answer: Sentencing guidelines are developed and reviewed by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales, which also monitors and evaluates all definitive guidelines, as per its statutory duty to do so. These evaluations assess the impact the guideline has had on...
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordMarriage: ReformMinistry of JusticeTabled 16 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19534More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of the proposed reforms on demand for approved wedding venues.
Answer: On 16 July, the Government published the consultation ‘Tying the Knot: Reforming weddings law in England and Wales alongside an impact assessment of the proposed reforms. The impact assessment estimates that the reforms could lead to a 3% increase in the ...
Answered 2 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordMarriage: ReformMinistry of JusticeTabled 16 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19533More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government intends to publish draft legislation for pre-legislative scrutiny before introducing a Bill to reform weddings law.
Answer: On 16 July, the Government published the consultation ‘Tying the Knot: Reforming weddings law in England and Wales alongside an impact assessment of the proposed reforms. The impact assessment estimates that the reforms could lead to a 3% increase in the ...
Answered 2 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordMarriage: ReformMinistry of JusticeTabled 16 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19532More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed reforms on the prevention and detection of sham marriages.
Answer: On 16 July, the Government published the consultation ‘Tying the Knot: Reforming weddings law in England and Wales alongside an impact assessment of the proposed reforms. The impact assessment estimates that the reforms could lead to a 3% increase in the ...
Answered 2 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordMarriage: ReformMinistry of JusticeTabled 16 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19531More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed reforms on the financial viability of local authority registration services.
Answer: On 16 July, the Government published the consultation ‘Tying the Knot: Reforming weddings law in England and Wales alongside an impact assessment of the proposed reforms. The impact assessment estimates that the reforms could lead to a 3% increase in the ...
Answered 2 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordMarriage: ReformMinistry of JusticeTabled 16 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19530More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate she has made of the number of additional marriages that would take place annually if the proposed reforms are implemented.
Answer: On 16 July, the Government published the consultation ‘Tying the Knot: Reforming weddings law in England and Wales alongside an impact assessment of the proposed reforms. The impact assessment estimates that the reforms could lead to a 3% increase in the ...
Answered 2 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordOpen PrisonsMinistry of JusticeTabled 13 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 18214More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the risks associated with unofficial auditors accessing the open prison estate.
Answer: Any person who films, photographs, or transmits images from within a prison for reception outside the prison commits an offence under section 40D(1) of the Prisons Act 1952. A person convicted of an offence under section 40D(1) may, on conviction on indic...
Answered 20 Jul 2026
Original Parliament record
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4 Jul 2026–16 Oct 2026. One record per UIN and tabled date; the named department is not a measure of answer quality.
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