Andrew Snowden MP: written questions

Written questions

• Food PoisoningDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4605More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the latest data published by the UK Health Security Agency indicating high levels of Salmonella and Campylobacter infections in England; and what steps are being take

  Answer: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) actively monitors and assesses the latest data on levels of foodborne disease (FBD) to determine whether action may be needed to protect public health.Controlling FBD is a strategic priority for the FSA to protect consumers...

  Answered 5 Jun 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Great British RailwaysDepartment for TransportTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4598More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative assessment has been made of the potential impact of consolidation of operations under Great British Railways compared with the previous franchising model on (a) operational competition and (b)

  Answer: This Government was elected on a clear manifesto commitment to return franchised passenger services to public ownership. Public ownership, as delivered through the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024, is an important first step towards ...

  Answered 12 Jun 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Railways: NationalisationDepartment for TransportTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4595More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department plans to take to (a) measure and (b) publish changes in (i) punctuality and (ii) cancellation rates following the transfer of services into public ownership.

  Answer: Public sector operators are required to meet targets for punctuality, reliability, service quality and customer satisfaction under their Services Agreement with the Department and are required to publish performance against these targets on a regular basi...

  Answered 8 Jun 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Greater Thameslink Railway: NationalisationDepartment for TransportTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4594More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what independent economic assessment has been made of the cost to the Exchequer of transferring the operations of Govia Thameslink Railways into public ownership compared with retaining the existing contractual

  Answer: Since the start of the pandemic, the net costs of operating franchised passenger services have been borne by taxpayers, not by private train operators. Therefore, the transfer of Govia Thameslink Railways (GTR) services into public ownership is not expect...

  Answered 8 Jun 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Pupil Exclusions: LancashireDepartment for EducationTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4593More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of school suspensions in Lancashire over the last five years.

  Answer: Statistics on suspensions by local authority by full academic year can be found in the following publication: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/suspensions-and-permanent-exclusions-in-england/2023-24. This has been availa...

  Answered 15 Jun 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Dental Services: ContractsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4591More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Integrated Care Boards have powers to revise indicative units of dental activity values where existing contracts are considered significantly below local averages.

  Answer: Since 2024, a minimum Unit of Dental Activity (UDA) value of £28 has been in place to support practices with historically low UDA rates. Integrated care boards have the flexibility to influence the UDA rate locally, which may help to support local interve...

  Answered 3 Jun 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Dental Services: ContractsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4590More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of variation in Unit of Dental Activity (UDA) values between NHS dental contracts within the same Integrated Care Board area on

  Answer: From 1 April 2023, commissioning responsibility for primary care dentistry transferred to integrated care boards, including the duty to assess local oral health needs and set commissioning priorities. NHS England has issued an Assurance Framework to suppo...

  Answered 3 Jun 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Sweden: Military AircraftMinistry of DefenceTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4589More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Swedish fighter jet agreement on the future of the Global Combat Air Programme.

  Answer: The UK and Sweden are proud to work together on Gripen. The recent export successes are a testament to UK and Swedish expertise and will provide hundreds of millions of pounds of benefits to our supply chain businesses. We will continue to support Gripen ...

  Answered 3 Jun 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Sweden: Military AircraftMinistry of DefenceTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4588More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Swedish fighter jet deal on defence jobs in (i) the UK and (ii) Lancashire.

  Answer: The Sweden-led export of Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine will provide Ukrainian forces with modern, agile, and highly capable multirole air combat platforms. It also represents a step change in defence industrial cooperation. This initiative will strengthe...

  Answered 8 Jun 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Local Government: ReorganisationMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4587More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether councils identified as at risk under new powers on financial mismanagement in local government will be excluded from merging with other authorities under local government

  Answer: There are no plans to exclude any local authorities from reorganisation where places were invited to submit proposals. All proposals should meet the statutory criteria for local government reorganisation, including being the right size to achieve efficien...

  Answered 3 Jun 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Local Government: RegenerationMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4586More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposed powers to prevent financial mismanagement in local government on local authority borrowing for infrastructure and

  Answer: The Government has recently published a consultation on the proposed capital risk metrics and associated regulations. The consultation sets out the proposed metrics, their calculation methodologies and the circumstances in which the Secretary of State’s p...

  Answered 8 Jun 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Local Government FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4585More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of local authorities within scope of intervention powers under proposed regulations of council investments; and if he will list them.

  Answer: The Government has recently published a consultation on the proposed capital risk metrics and associated regulations. The consultation sets out the proposed metrics, their calculation methodologies and the circumstances in which the Secretary of State’s p...

  Answered 8 Jun 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Pharmacy: TrainingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4584More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase levels of funding to support pharmacists undertaking Independent Prescribing qualifications.

  Answer: From autumn 2026, a national NHS Independent Prescribing (IP) offer will be introduced in community pharmacy following the conclusion of the 2026/27 Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework consultation with Community Pharmacy England.Funding to support t...

  Answered 4 Jun 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Primary Care: PharmacyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4583More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much of the £340 million pharmacy funding package will be allocated specifically to (a) workforce training, (b) digital infrastructure and (c) direct service delivery.

  Answer: From autumn 2026, a national NHS Independent Prescribing (IP) offer will be introduced in community pharmacy following the conclusion of the 2026/27 Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework consultation with Community Pharmacy England.Funding to support t...

  Answered 4 Jun 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Primary Care: PharmacyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4582More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the level of additional workforce capacity required to deliver the rollout of NHS-funded Independent Prescribing services from Autumn 2026.

  Answer: From autumn 2026, a national NHS Independent Prescribing (IP) offer will be introduced in community pharmacy following the conclusion of the 2026/27 Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework consultation with Community Pharmacy England.Funding to support t...

  Answered 4 Jun 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Pharmacy: QualificationsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4581More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of community pharmacists who currently hold an Independent Prescribing qualification in England.

  Answer: From autumn 2026, a national NHS Independent Prescribing (IP) offer will be introduced in community pharmacy following the conclusion of the 2026/27 Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework consultation with Community Pharmacy England.Funding to support t...

  Answered 4 Jun 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Motor Vehicles: VATTreasuryTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4569More

  Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of maintaining annual increases in Vehicle Excise Duty for private cars while reducing rates for heavy goods vehicles on drivers.

  Answer: As announced on 20 May 2026, the Government is providing temporary support to the heavy goods vehicle (HGV) sector to reflect its disproportionate exposure to diesel costs and its importance to supply chains across the economy. The 12-month vehicle excise...

  Answered 8 Jun 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Large Goods Vehicles: Excise DutiesDepartment for TransportTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4568More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether reductions in Vehicle Excise Duty for heavy goods vehicles are passed on to consumers through lower (a) transport and (b) retail costs.

  Answer: Recognising the key role the road haulage sector plays in transporting goods across the UK and their disproportionate exposure to fuel costs, the government is introducing a 12-month holiday from Vehicle Excise Duty for the majority of heavy goods vehicle...

  Answered 8 Jun 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Small Businesses: Motor VehiclesDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4440More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending protections equivalent to those available under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 to sole traders and small businesses purc

  Answer: The Government has no current plans to extend protections equivalent to those available under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 to sole traders and small businesses purchasing essential business vehicles. As a general principle, the Government does not interve...

  Answered 8 Jun 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Park Homes: ComplaintsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4362More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on responding to complaints from park home residents relating to (a) site rule changes, (b) development activity, and (

  Answer: Local authorities do not have powers to make determinations about changes to park home site rules. If a site owner fails to follow the statutory process for changing site rules, residents can apply to the First-Tier Tribunal for a determination. The Local...

  Answered 8 Jun 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Royal Mail: Universal Service ObligationDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4361More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to introduce legislation to amend the statutory framework governing the Universal Service Obligation for the Royal Mail.

  Answer: The government currently has no plans to amend the statutory framework governing the Universal Service Obligation (USO) set out in the Postal Services Act 2011. Under the Act, Ofcom, as the independent regulator, is responsible for securing a sustainable ...

  Answered 5 Jun 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Postal Services: StandardsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4360More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the changes to letter delivery frequencies on households that rely on postal services for essential communications.

  Answer: The government is committed to the provision of a reliable and affordable universal postal service that works for consumers, workers and communities.Ofcom, as the independent regulator, has introduced reforms to the universal service obligation intended t...

  Answered 5 Jun 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Bus Services Act 2025Department for TransportTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4310More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how will she assess the effectiveness of measures introduced in the Bus Services Act.

  Answer: DfT are in the process of developing monitoring and evaluation plans to assess the effectiveness of measures against the Bus Service Act’s objectives. This will include monitoring to ensure that Local Transport Authorities are compliant, by April 2027, wi...

  Answered 4 Jun 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Physical Education and SportsDepartment for EducationTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4294More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to engage with professional sports teams to improve physical education in schools.

  Answer: The department is committed to ensuring that PE and school sport enable pupils to become confident and competent in a wide range of sports and physical activities. Professional sports teams and local clubs play an important role in supporting this ambitio...

  Answered 8 Jun 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Defence: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4293More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Government backing future British defence unicorns published on 19 May 2026, what steps he is taking to ensure fair competition between established firms

  Answer: The defence unicorns were selected by the Defence Secretary through the Commercial X function to deliver specific projects which align strongly with the objectives of the Defence Industrial Strategy, including the need to innovate at wartime pace, grow th...

  Answered 5 Jun 2026

  Original Parliament record