Andrew Snowden MP: written questions
1837 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Carer's Allowance: OverpaymentsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103485More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many unpaid carers have been referred to the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to carer’s allowance overpayments in each year since 2015.
Answer: The Government inherited a system where some busy carers, already struggling under a huge weight of caring responsibilities, have found themselves with unexpected debts due to earnings-related overpayments of Carer’s Allowance which they were asked to pay...
Answered 26 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordAlcoholic Drinks: CrimeMinistry of JusticeTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102934More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders were subject to alcohol monitoring tags over the Christmas and New Year period in each of the last five years.
Answer: The Department does not directly compare the cost-effectiveness of alcohol monitoring tags and alcohol-related custodial sentences.Alcohol monitoring is used a tool to assist with the safe management of individuals in the community, where alcohol has been...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordAlcoholic Drinks: SentencingMinistry of JusticeTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102933More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the cost-effectiveness of (a) alcohol monitoring tags and (b) custodial sentences for alcohol-related offences.
Answer: The Department does not directly compare the cost-effectiveness of alcohol monitoring tags and alcohol-related custodial sentences.Alcohol monitoring is used a tool to assist with the safe management of individuals in the community, where alcohol has been...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordYoung Futures PanelsHome OfficeTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102932More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what metrics are being used to evaluate the effectiveness of the Young Futures Panel pilots.
Answer: The Young Futures Programme is a key part of the Safer Streets Mission, and the Government’s target to halve knife crime over the next decade and reduce anti-social behaviour and violence against women and girls. Under this programme, the Government is in...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordTaxis: VATTreasuryTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102931More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to bring forward further reforms to VAT treatment within the taxi and private hire vehicle sector.
Answer: Private hire vehicle (PHV) services provided by VAT-registered businesses are, and always have been, subject to the standard rate of VAT (20%). The Government’s announcement at Autumn Budget 2025 puts an end to the exploitation of a VAT administration sch...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordTaxis: VATTreasuryTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102930More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HMRC is taking to ensure compliance with the new VAT rules for private hire vehicle operators following the closure of access to the Tour Operators Margin Scheme.
Answer: HMRC is undertaking a range of measures to ensure compliance with the new VAT rules for private hire vehicle operators (“PHVOs”) following the changes made to the Tour Operators’ Margin Scheme (“TOMS”). These measures include publishing a Revenue and Cust...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordRent Repayment OrdersDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 101903More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there will be further expansion of the Rent Repayment Order scheme.
Answer: The Department is currently running a Rent Repayment Order pilot with 41 local authorities. The purpose of the pilot is to assess the effectiveness of the scheme and its impact on enforcement activity. We will evaluate the pilot and subject to positive fi...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordRent Repayment Orders: Information SharingDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 101902More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria were used to select the 38 additional local authorities included in the expansion of the Rent Repayment Order data-sharing scheme.
Answer: The Department for Work and Pensions has worked closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to develop and implement the Rent Repayment Order pilot. The opportunity to participate was offered to all local authorities thr...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordHearing Impairment: BabiesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101512More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to ensure that families of babies identified as deaf through the newborn hearing screening programme receive timely and appropriate support from birth.
Answer: Newborn babies whose hearing screening suggests they may have deafness and hearing impairment are referred for an audiological assessment within four weeks.A family centred approach underpins all recall processes to prioritise clear communication and supp...
Answered 15 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: Hearing ImpairmentDepartment for EducationTabled 18 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101511More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2025 to Question 85962 on Special Educational Needs: Hearing Impairment, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of making support for families available fro
Answer: The department is committed to ensuring that all children, including deaf and hard of hearing children, have the best possible start in life. The NHS Newborn Hearing Screening Programme aims to identify permanent moderate, severe, and profound deafness an...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordMeat: LabellingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 16 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100621More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has considered the potential merits of introducing mandatory labelling of meat products to indicate the method of slaughter.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 17 December 2025 to PQ UIN 99375.
Answered 6 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordSlaughterhousesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100620More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many enforcement actions relating to breaches of animal welfare regulations at slaughterhouses were taken by the Food Standards Agency in each of the last five years; and how many of those rela
Answer: Between April 2020 and March 2025, 1,935 animal welfare breaches posing potential or imminent animal welfare risk were recorded in slaughterhouses in England and Wales, requiring 2,320 enforcement actions. Some breaches required multiple actions, such as ...
Answered 6 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordCharities: MembersDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100173More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what guidance the Government provides to membership-based charities to ensure compliance with charity law where benefits are restricted to members.
Answer: All charities in England and Wales must have wholly charitable purposes that are for the public benefit, in order to enjoy the advantages of charitable status. Unless the purpose is for the relief (and in some cases the prevention) of poverty, a charitabl...
Answered 22 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordPre-school Education: Pupil PremiumDepartment for EducationTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100149More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children (i) in Fylde and (ii) across Lancashire are expected to benefit from the increased Early Years Pupil Premium.
Answer: On the 15 December we announced the local authority funding rates for 2026/2027. From April 2026, the Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) will be increased by an additional 15% to £1.15 an hour, equivalent to up to £655 a year. Statistics at a parliamentary ...
Answered 18 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordChildcareDepartment for EducationTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100148More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how the expansion of school-based nurseries will contribute to increasing access to funded childcare, particularly in areas with limited provision.
Answer: High quality early years is central to our mission to break down the barriers to opportunity, give every child the best possible start in life and is essential to our Plan for Change. This government is boosting availability and access through the school-...
Answered 6 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordChildcare: LancashireDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100145More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many families (i) in Fylde and (ii) across Lancashire are expected to receive the additional £736.06 per child in childcare support as a result of changes to universal credit rules.
Answer: The requested information is not readily available and to provide it would be at disproportionate cost. The monthly statistics for the number of Children in households on Universal Credit in Great Britain by Parliamentary Constituency and Local Authority ...
Answered 18 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordPre-school Education: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100144More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what action her Department will take where local authorities are found to be retaining more than the permitted 3% of early years funding.
Answer: The passthrough requirement ensures that the great majority of government funding for the early years entitlements reaches providers so that they can deliver the entitlement offers. The passthrough rate is a statutory requirement set out in the Schools an...
Answered 7 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordEnglish Language: AssessmentsDepartment for EducationTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100142More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what safeguards are now in place to prevent malpractice in English language proficiency tests used for university entrance, following the issues identified by Ofqual with Pearson’s PTE Academic Online test.
Answer: Universities are autonomous bodies, independent from government, and responsible for their own admissions decisions. Where English is not an applicant's first language, it is right that a provider assures themselves that the applicant has a reasonable lik...
Answered 7 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordLanguages: AssessmentsDepartment for EducationTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100141More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps are being taken to ensure that modern foreign language qualifications are set and marked in line with Ofqual requirements and do not unfairly disadvantage particular groups of students.
Answer: Ofqual, the independent regulator of examinations and assessments in England, expects awarding organisations to manage risk in line with its General Conditions of Recognition, which are available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ofqual-handbook.The matte...
Answered 22 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordQualificationsDepartment for EducationTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100140More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with Ofqual regarding the risk management processes used by awarding organisations when introducing new qualifications.
Answer: Ofqual, the independent regulator of examinations and assessments in England, expects awarding organisations to manage risk in line with its General Conditions of Recognition, which are available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ofqual-handbook.The matte...
Answered 22 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordStudents: AssessmentsDepartment for EducationTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100138More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the press notice of 15 December 2025 entitled Ofqual fines Pearson £2 million for rule breaches affecting thousands of students, how many students were affected by each of the three cases for
Answer: This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have asked its Chief Regulator, Sir Ian Bauckham, to write to the hon. Member for Fylde directly, and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Hous...
Answered 18 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordEducation: StandardsDepartment for EducationTabled 12 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99589More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the performance of free schools compared with maintained schools and academies in terms of educational outcomes.
Answer: Many free schools, run by strong trusts, have contributed to raising standards and achieved strong outcomes for their pupils. However, too many children and young people are still being left behind due to their educational needs or their background. The d...
Answered 10 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordBus Services: FyldeDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99588More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of increasing the bus travel fare cap from £2 in July 2024 to £3 on the accessibility of services in Fylde constituency.
Answer: The Department is currently undertaking an evaluation of the £3 bus fare cap and its impacts. This will include analysis of bus usage. The evaluation will focus on understanding the national impacts of the scheme. The final monitoring and evaluation repor...
Answered 18 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordDoctors: Industrial DisputesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99587More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Resident Doctor strikes on the delivery of healthcare services in Lancashire.
Answer: The Department has not made a formal assessment of the potential impact of resident doctor strikes on the delivery of healthcare services in Lancashire specifically.The National Health Service makes every effort through rigorous contingency planning to mi...
Answered 22 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordMeat: LabellingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 11 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99375More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that consumers are provided with sufficient information to make informed choices regarding the method of slaughter used in producing meat
Answer: The Government expects industry to provide consumers with information on which to make an informed choice about their food. Any information provided on the method of slaughter must be accurate and not misleading to the consumer.
Answered 17 Dec 2025
Original Parliament record
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