Andrew Snowden MP: written questions
1837 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Special Educational Needs: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 24 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115487More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how the £1.6 billion Inclusive Mainstream Fund will be allocated between (a) early years settings, (b) primary schools, (c) secondary schools and (d) post-16 institutions; and what accountability mechanisms wil
Answer: We will publish methodology documents to explain the funding distribution of the Inclusive Mainstream Fund for early years settings, schools and 16-19 institutions in the spring.In our recent publication 'SEND reform: putting children and young people fir...
Answered 4 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: BuildingsCabinet OfficeTabled 24 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115463More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the press release entitled Over £17 million saved in past six months through government office closures, published on 23 February 2026, whether the estimated annual savings from closing three c
Answer: The savings from the three central London office closures relate to the annual property running costs. They have not been adjusted for any one-off transition, refit, or redundancy costs.
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Government FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 24 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115461More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what conditions are attached to the Exceptional Financial Support granted to councils in 2026; and whether those conditions include requirements for (a) asset disposals, (b) serv
Answer: This government is delivering fairer funding, targeting money where it is needed most through the first multi-year Settlement in a decade. However, delivering reform will take time, and the government recognises the challenging financial context for local...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Government FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 24 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115460More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities have applied for Exceptional Financial Support in each financial year since 2020; and what the total value of support approved has been in each year.
Answer: This government is delivering fairer funding, targeting money where it is needed most through the first multi-year Settlement in a decade. However, delivering reform will take time, and the government recognises the challenging financial context for local...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordChild BenefitTreasuryTabled 24 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115459More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many child benefit enquiries were opened as a result of data-sharing between HMRC and Student Finance England to detect changes in the young person’s further education status; over what timeframe they were opene
Answer: For 16–19-year-olds included on Child Benefit claims, eligibility is reliant on them being in full-time non-advanced education or approved training. Data from Student Finance England helps HMRC identify when a young person included in a Child Benefit awar...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: PayDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114193More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress he has made on implementing the £500 million fair pay agreement for adult social care workers.
Answer: The consultation on the design of the Fair Pay Agreement process has now closed, however the Easy Read version remains open until 6 March to ensure everyone has the opportunity to contribute. We are analysing the responses and will set out our formal resp...
Answered 27 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDisabled Facilities Grants: LancashireDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114192More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many households in (i) Fylde constituency and (ii) across Lancashire will benefit from the Disabled Facilities Grant in 2026–27.
Answer: We have recently confirmed funding of £723 million for the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) in England in 2026/27. The full list of allocations, including for Fylde and Lancashire, can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultati...
Answered 27 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: Fees and ChargesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114191More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with representative organisations, including Mencap, on the adequacy of social care charging reforms.
Answer: Last year, the Prime Minister asked Baroness Louise Casey of Blackstock to chair an independent commission into adult social care to look at how to build a social care system that is fit for the future, including how best to make it fair and affordable Ba...
Answered 27 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordSri Lanka: Global Charter on Children's Care ReformForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114190More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what financial or technical assistance her Department provides to support implementation of the Global Charter for Children’s Care Reform in Sri Lanka.
Answer: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has committed to provide technical assistance to signatories of the Global Charter on Children's Care Reform, where needed, to support the development and implementation of national children's care reform c...
Answered 4 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordUnfair PracticesDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114157More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the Competition and Markets Authority is taking to protect consumers from rogue traders, including those who provide substandard or fraudulent services.
Answer: The Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) decision-making is independent of government. Each parliament the government issues a Strategic Steer to the CMA setting out its priorities for the CMA and the wider policy objectives to which it should have r...
Answered 26 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordUnfair PracticesDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114156More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the compliance advice published by the Competition and Markets Authority for trader recommendation platforms in protecting consumers from
Answer: The Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) decision-making is independent of government. Each parliament the government issues a Strategic Steer to the CMA setting out its priorities for the CMA and the wider policy objectives to which it should have r...
Answered 26 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Redundancy PayDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 113942More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce (a) transitional protection and (b) retrospective corrective measures for NHS staff who took partial retirement before formal guidance on its impact on redundancy enti
Answer: There are no plans to introduce transitional protections or retrospective corrective measures for National Health Service staff who took partial retirement before formal guidance on the impact of redundancy entitlement was issued.Contractual redundancy pr...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: RedundancyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 113941More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS staff who had taken partial retirement were placed at risk of redundancy between 1 April 2024 and 31 January 2026.
Answer: Data held by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) confirms that the number of staff who applied for partial retirement between 1 April 2024 and 31 January 2026 and are in receipt of payment is 32,271. This number includes NHS Pension scheme member...
Answered 9 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Redundancy PayDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 113940More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will update Section 16 of the NHS Staff Terms and Conditions Handbook to clarify the impact of partial retirement on redundancy entitlements.
Answer: Contractual redundancy provisions for staff covered by the National Health Service terms and conditions of service handbook, also referred to as Agenda for Change, in England were agreed and ratified in partnership by the NHS Staff Council, the collective...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 113266More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the written answer 907855 of 12 February 2026, if he will provide the data on (a) punctuality and (b) cancellations for (i) publicly owned and (ii) privately owned operators in each of the last five
Answer: Data on passenger rail performance, including both quarterly accredited official statistics and periodic management information on cancellations and punctuality for all Train Operating Companies (TOCs), is published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) on...
Answered 26 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordTransport: North WestDepartment for TransportTabled 11 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112871More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much transport infrastructure funding per capita has been allocated to (a) mayoral combined authorities and (b) non-mayoral areas in the North West of England in the latest funding round.
Answer: As part of the Government’s Spending Review in June last year, the following capital funding totals have been allocated for transport infrastructure to local transport authorities, including Mayoral Strategic Authorities and non–mayoral authorities in the...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: ChildrenTreasuryTabled 11 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112850More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many enquiries were opened as a result of data-sharing between HMRC and the DWP to identify when older children claim benefits in their own right; over what timeframe they were opened; and what the outcomes were
Answer: DWP has long provided HMRC with information where older children receive benefits in their own right. Since 2024, this has been done through notifications of Universal Credit claims, replacing the previous approach which relied on Jobseeker’s Allowance an...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordReoffenders: VettingMinistry of JusticeTabled 11 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112796More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of mandatory disclosure of unspent criminal convictions on rates of reoffending.
Answer: We are committed to helping people with convictions overcome barriers to employment and turn away from reoffending. The criminal records regime is designed to play a role in this process, balancing the need to safeguard the public, with enabling ex-offend...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordChild Benefit: Northern IrelandTreasuryTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112457More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to answer 107494 of 26 January on Child Benefit, how many of the compliance enquiries issued to Northern Ireland claimants (i) were confirmed to be eligible, (ii) were found to have been incorrectly receivi
Answer: I refer the Hon Member to the response provided to 110941 on 10 February 2026.
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordStudents: LoansDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112385More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she will publish the equalities impact assessment on the student loan repayment changes announced in Autumn Budget 2025.
Answer: Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements.Lower earning graduates remain protected by this change. Graduates only begin repaying once their ea...
Answered 27 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordStudents: LoansDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112383More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of student loan interest accrual on (a) disabled graduates and (b) graduates with long-term health conditions during periods of illness and reduced working
Answer: Interest accrues on loan balances until the loan has been repaid in full or cancelled, but interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by borrowers.Borrowers on Plan 5 student loans only accrue interest at Retail Price Index (RPI), currently 3.2%...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordStudents: LoansDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112382More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of student loan interest accrual on borrowers who take (a) maternity leave, (b) shared parental leave and (c) periods of part-time work due to car
Answer: Interest accrues on loan balances until the loan has been repaid in full or cancelled, but interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by borrowers.Borrowers on Plan 5 student loans only accrue interest at Retail Price Index (RPI), currently 3.2%...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112357More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to review funding arrangements for local authorities requiring increases in asylum accommodation procurement and refugee move-on responsibilities.
Answer: Funding arrangements for local authorities are subject to continuous review. Local authorities were informed of the 2025/26 asylum accommodation funding model. Information on the total amount paid to individual local authorities for DA is not currently pu...
Answered 17 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112356More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consideration is given to police advice and crime data when determining the suitability of properties for dispersed asylum accommodation.
Answer: Since 2022, the Home Office has adopted a policy of Full Dispersal, which works to ensure that Asylum accommodation is equitably distributed across the country and that a small number of Local Authorities are not unduly burdened. The Asylum Accommodation ...
Answered 18 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112355More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance is issued to accommodation providers on consultation with local authorities during the postcode check process.
Answer: Since 2022, the Home Office has adopted a policy of Full Dispersal, which works to ensure that Asylum accommodation is equitably distributed across the country and that a small number of Local Authorities are not unduly burdened. The Asylum Accommodation ...
Answered 18 Feb 2026
Original Parliament record
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