Andrew Snowden MP: written questions 2025
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Written questions
Asylum: HotelsHome OfficeTabled 1 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 73767More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on (a) employment conditions, (b) levels of pay and (c) training undertaken by staff working for subcontractors in migrant hotels.
Answer: The provision of asylum accommodation is primarily delivered through the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts. These were competitively tendered and awarded in 2019. These contracts are in place for a 10 year term and details can be found i...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HotelsHome OfficeTabled 1 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 73766More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department requires contractors providing hotel accommodation to asylum seekers to disclose their use of subcontractors.
Answer: The provision of asylum accommodation is primarily delivered through the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts. These were competitively tendered and awarded in 2019. These contracts are in place for a 10 year term and details can be found i...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HotelsHome OfficeTabled 1 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 73765More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which companies held contracts for the provision of hotel accommodation for asylum seekers on 1 September 2025; and what the (a) value and (b) duration is for each of those contracts.
Answer: The provision of asylum accommodation is primarily delivered through the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts. These were competitively tendered and awarded in 2019. These contracts are in place for a 10 year term and details can be found i...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordChickenpox: VaccinationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73641More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the potential savings to the public purse following the introduction of the chickenpox vaccine programme.
Answer: The chickenpox vaccination programme is considered cost-effective and is expected to relieve pressures on health services that currently result from treating cases of chickenpox, saving the NHS an estimated £15 million a year in costs.The vaccination prog...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordChickenpox: VaccinationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73640More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the readiness of NHS services in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire to deliver the chickenpox vaccine from January 2026.
Answer: On 29 August, the Government announced plans to introduce chickenpox vaccination into the routine childhood immunisation schedule from 1 January 2026, using the MMRV vaccine which protects against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox (varicella).The MMR...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordChickenpox: VaccinationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73639More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to fund specific communications campaigns in (a) Lancashire and the (b) North West to (i) raise awareness of the chickenpox vaccine and (ii) address misinformation.
Answer: On 29 August 2025, the Government announced plans to introduce chickenpox vaccination into the routine childhood immunisation schedule from 1 January 2026, using the MMRV vaccine which protects against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox (varicella).Th...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordChickenpox: VaccinationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73638More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) inform and (b) educate parents about the new chickenpox vaccine, and to tackle vaccine hesitancy.
Answer: On 29 August 2025, the Government announced plans to introduce chickenpox vaccination into the routine childhood immunisation schedule from 1 January 2026, using the MMRV vaccine which protects against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox (varicella).Th...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordChickenpox: VaccinationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73637More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) mobile or (b) school-based vaccination programmes as part of the catch-up campaign for chickenpox vaccination.
Answer: On 29 August 2025, the Government announced plans to introduce chickenpox (varicella) vaccination into the routine childhood immunisation schedule from 1 January 2026. Eligible children will receive a MMRV vaccine during routine GP appointments, which pro...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordChickenpox: VaccinationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73636More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what provisions will be made for children over 18 months who have missed the initial two-dose chickenpox vaccine schedule.
Answer: On 29 August, the Government announced plans to introduce chickenpox (varicella) vaccination into the routine childhood immunisation schedule from 1 January 2026. Eligible children will receive an MMRV vaccine during routine general practice (GP) appointm...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordChickenpox: VaccinationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73635More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding has been allocated to support (a) GP surgeries and (b) health visitors in delivering the chickenpox vaccine as part of the MMRV jab.
Answer: From January 2026, the measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccination programme will form part of the routine childhood immunisations offered in England. The MMRV vaccine will be offered at general practices (GPs) as part of routine infant vacc...
Answered 29 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordChickenpox: VaccinationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73634More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether any regional pilot schemes will be introduced prior to the national rollout of the chickenpox vaccine for children.
Answer: From 1 January 2026, general practices will offer eligible children a combined vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) as part of the routine infant vaccination schedule. There are no plans for regional pilot schemes prior to the nationa...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordChickenpox: VaccinationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73633More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the successful rollout of the new chickenpox vaccination programme in areas with historically low vaccine uptake.
Answer: The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and NHS England to promote vaccine uptake by providing diverse delivery methods to make getting vaccinated easier, increasing outreach efforts to under-s...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordEmergencies: Mobile PhonesCabinet OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73632More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the performance of the national test of the UK Emergency Alert System conducted on 23 April 2023; and what lessons will be applied to the test on 7 September 2025.
Answer: The Government is committed to improving the Emergency Alerts system as it serves a crucial purpose helping to save lives in emergency situations by issuing an alert to all compatible mobile phones. There was an initial 12 month evaluation period (April 2...
Answered 2 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordEmergencies: Mobile PhonesMinistry of DefenceTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73631More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the UK Emergency Alert System has been (a) tested and (b) integrated with military contingency planning for civil emergencies.
Answer: Contingency plans for civil emergencies are cohered by the Cabinet Office on behalf of the Government. Defence support is integrated into those plans where required through the Military Aid to Civilian Authorities (MACA) process. Emergency Alerts are inte...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordEmergencies: Mobile PhonesCabinet OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73630More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions his Department has had with mobile network operators on the (a) resilience and (b) reliability of mobile infrastructure to deliver emergency alerts during (i) power outages and (ii) network cong
Answer: The Emergency Alerts capability is reliant on mobile network operators’ infrastructure to issue alerts. Under the Communications Act 2003 and Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021, UK communications providers have a statutory requirement to take appropri...
Answered 23 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordEmergencies: Mobile PhonesDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73629More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions his Department has had with mobile network operators on the (a) resilience and (b) reliability of mobile infrastructure to deliver emergency alerts during (i) power out
Answer: The Emergency Alerts capability relies on mobile network operators’ infrastructure to issue alerts. Under the Communications Act 2003 and Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021, UK communications providers have a statutory requirement to take appropriate ...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordEmergencies: Mobile PhonesCabinet OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73628More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the accessibility of the UK Emergency Alert System for people who are (a) visually and (b) hearing impaired.
Answer: We have ensured that the Emergency Alerts system works with voice reader software. This means that everyone who already has this and all other accessibility settings enabled on their phones should have the alert read out to them. As part of the communicat...
Answered 3 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordEmergencies: Mobile PhonesCabinet OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73627More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how the UK Emergency Alert System integrates with (a) local authority and (b) regional emergency response plans.
Answer: The emergency services, whose role is to warn, inform and advise the public in the event of an emergency have the Emergency Alerting capability available to them 24/7/365 upon request. The established procedures have been closely designed alongside both n...
Answered 23 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordResettlement: AfghanistanHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73597More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support she is providing to Afghan nationals during their transition from Weeton Barracks to long-term housin; and whether this includes assistance with (a) employment, (b) language training and
Answer: Supporting Afghans on their arrival into the UK is critical in providing a strong foundation for those rebuilding their new life in the UK.Under the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP), transitional accommodation is offered for up to 9 months, within whic...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordWeeton BarracksMinistry of DefenceTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73596More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the use of Weeton Barracks for transitional accommodation on (a) military training operations and (b) the availability of housing for service personnel and t
Answer: Weeton Barracks has been occupied by 1st Battalion The Lancashire Regiment since 2024. It was not used as transitional accommodation for Afghans. I can reassure the hon. Gentleman that only surplus Service Family Accommodation was allocated as part of the...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordWeeton BarracksMinistry of DefenceTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73595More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he plans to take to return of Weeton Barracks to its original military function; and what his planned timetable is for the complete withdrawal of ARAP-related residents.
Answer: Weeton Barracks has been occupied by 1st Battalion The Lancashire Regiment since 2024. It was not used as transitional accommodation for Afghans. I can reassure the hon. Gentleman that only surplus Service Family Accommodation was allocated as part of the...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS: DrugsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73593More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Business and Trade on the potential impact of UK-US trade agreements on the price the NHS pays for medicines from American suppliers.
Answer: The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work closely with the Department for Business and Trade to assess the potential impact of the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal on the life sciences and pharmaceutical sector. The Government is clear that...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS: DrugsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73592More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department holds data on instances where the cost of drugs sourced from American pharmaceutical companies has significantly increased in the last five years; and what steps he is taking
Answer: NHS England do not record or hold data related to the medicines purchased by the NHS categorised by base of the parent company of the supplier.
Answered 9 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS: DrugsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73591More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a comparative assessment of the cost to the NHS of procuring pharmaceutical drugs from suppliers based in the (a) USA, (b) UK and (c) EU.
Answer: NHS England has not made a comparative assessment of the cost to the NHS in England from procuring pharmaceutical drugs from suppliers based in other domains, including the EU and the USA, compared to from the UK.
Answered 9 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordMultiple Occupation: LicensingMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73586More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the licensing regime for Houses in multiple occupation in (a) identifying and (b) addressing potential conflicts of interest inv
Answer: It is important that private rented properties are safe, well-maintained, and properly managed. Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licensing schemes play a crucial role in achieving this. Local authorities have robust powers to ensure landlords of HMOs c...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament record
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