Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what engagement she undertook with the pub and hospitality sector ahead of the 2025 Budget, particularly in the context of Business Rates.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Treasury Ministers and officials engaged with a wide range of stakeholders across the pub and hospitality sector ahead of the Budget to discuss business rates.
We continue to engage with the hospitality sector to understand the pressures they face.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the online Self Assessment Time to Pay system in reducing the number of late payment penalties.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC’s Time to Pay (TTP) arrangements help taxpayers to pay their liabilities in affordable and sustainable instalments. Late payment penalties do not apply provided the plan is agreed before penalty trigger dates and instalments are paid on time.
HMRC’s online TTP service for Self Assessment offers taxpayers the option to set up their own payment plans for Self Assessment debts up to £30,000. HMRC publishes data on TTP arrangements as part of its quarterly performance updates and in its Annual Report and Accounts. Over 90% of TTP arrangements are completed successfully, demonstrating their effectiveness in supporting compliance and reducing penalties.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with school governing bodies on improving transparency for parents.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department’s governance guidance for schools and trusts makes clear that as publicly funded organisations, schools and trusts should foster a culture of transparency and welcome public scrutiny.
When shaping the school or trust’s vision, the governing body or trust board should remain connected and responsive to pupils, staff, parents, carers, and the wider community through meaningful engagement.
To promote transparency in decision-making, the governing body or trust board should actively seek and consider the views of parents and carers. Governing bodies and trust boards are required to have at least two parent governors/trustees.
To ensure transparency, details of governors/trustees are recorded on Get Information About Schools, and governance structures, governor/trustee register of pecuniary of interests and governance meeting attendance are published on the school’s or trust’s website.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with regional leaders on supporting tourism growth outside London.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS is committed to ensuring that tourism contributes to growth and jobs across all parts of the country and particularly in coastal areas including Fylde, home to attractions including Lytham St Annes and the historic Lytham Hall.
A number of regional leaders are represented in the joint industry and Government-led Visitor Economy Advisory Council, which I co-chair. In this way, the views of regional leaders help to inform and shape Government policy. The Council is also helping to deliver the forthcoming sector growth plan which will set out a long term plan to increase visitor flows across the UK, boost value, and deliver sustainable growth.
The Lancashire Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP), which includes the constituency of Fylde, works collaboratively with both local authority and private sector partners to communicate investment opportunities and to showcase Lancashire’s strengths as a place to live, work, study and invest in, as well as a premier destination for visitors.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the consistency of pupil experience between Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2; and what steps she is taking to address declines in pupil motivation or engagement during the transition between these stages.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department recognises that moving between key stages can be challenging for some children, including the transition from key stage 1 to key stage 2.
One of the ways the department is looking to understand the experiences of children is through our Educational Outcome Pathways Studies (EOPS). EOPS Primary follows children in primary school from years 1 through 6 and collects data on their experiences, progress at school and wellbeing. It also examines factors at home, at school and in the wider environment that may influence children’s attitudes, behaviours and outcomes. Children in the study are currently in year 3, which is the key stage 2 transition year.
Alongside this, the government has committed to publish a new pupil engagement framework, helping schools to identify and address aspects of the pupil experience in their setting which may be preventing children from attending, achieving and thriving. As it is developed, we will consider the evidence around effective practice that supports pupil transitions alongside other approaches that can support pupil engagement.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the prevalence of cleft palate syndrome in the UK; and what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness among (a) healthcare professionals and (b) the general public.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Cleft Registry and Audit Network (CRANE) is a national register and clinical audit funded by NHS England to evaluate and report on the delivery of cleft services to children born with a cleft lip and/or palate in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. The 2024 Annual Report states that cleft lip and/or palate is a common condition, affecting one in 660 births and between 2021 and 2023, as 2,609 children were registered on CRANE, which is approximately 870 per year.
As part of their development activities, CRANE has previously linked with national educational data in England and found that attainment gaps exist between those with a cleft and the general population.
The Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), is currently funding a £2 million study to improve outcomes for individuals with cleft lip and/or palate by addressing variation in unmet needs.
This study aims to understand, and subsequently develop a tool to help address, the clinical, psychosocial, educational, and patient-reported needs of young adults with cleft lip and/or palate when they move from child to adult health services.
The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including cleft palate.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the long-term (a) health, (b) educational and (c) social outcomes of individuals born with cleft palate syndrome; and what steps his Department is taking to monitor these outcomes.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Cleft Registry and Audit Network (CRANE) is a national register and clinical audit funded by NHS England to evaluate and report on the delivery of cleft services to children born with a cleft lip and/or palate in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. The 2024 Annual Report states that cleft lip and/or palate is a common condition, affecting one in 660 births and between 2021 and 2023, as 2,609 children were registered on CRANE, which is approximately 870 per year.
As part of their development activities, CRANE has previously linked with national educational data in England and found that attainment gaps exist between those with a cleft and the general population.
The Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), is currently funding a £2 million study to improve outcomes for individuals with cleft lip and/or palate by addressing variation in unmet needs.
This study aims to understand, and subsequently develop a tool to help address, the clinical, psychosocial, educational, and patient-reported needs of young adults with cleft lip and/or palate when they move from child to adult health services.
The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including cleft palate.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of water infrastructure.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A record £104 billion of investment is planned for the water sector in the next investment cycle. This will provide the water supply and wastewater capacity to secure future water supplies, including nine new reservoirs and several large-scale water transfer schemes.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many illegal immigrants have been deported under the Dublin Convention.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the number of individuals transferred out of the UK under the Dublin regulation is published in the Dublin regulation detailed dataset (Dub_D01). Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The data relates up to the end of 2020, after which the UK was no longer subject to the Dublin regulation.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of Government support schemes on small business participation in Small Business Saturday.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I congratulate Small Business Britain on another excellent Small Business Saturday, during which the Government launched the new ‘Backing your Business’ campaign to drive uptake of the Business Growth Service and boost awareness of the Small Business Plan. We have been delivering on our promise to back SMEs across Britain.
This includes work to tackle late payments and cut the administrative costs of regulation saving SME owners time and money so they can focus on running successful businesses and continue to participate in important campaigns such as Small Business Saturday.