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, whether his Department has issued guidance to NHS employers on providing meaningful feedback to unsuccessful applicants for medical posts.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
All candidates applying for posts as part of national medical recruitment undertaken by NHS England are provided feedback at each stage of the process where they are unsuccessful. Information about the application process is set out on the UK Foundation Programme and medical specialty recruitment websites, at the following two links:
It is the responsibility of individual National Health Service employers to provide feedback to candidates who are unsuccessful in being offered a particular medical post. NHS England has published a Recruitment Policy Framework which local NHS employers can adapt for their local context:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/recruitment-policy-framework/
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of current regulations on air conditioning systems in newbuild properties.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Part O of the Building Regulations requires that new residential buildings are built to mitigate the risk of overheating. Part O encourages passive design measures, such as limiting solar gain and enabling heat to be removed naturally, before relying on mechanical systems. This reflects the Government’s commitment to improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions. Mechanical cooling, such as air conditioning, can be used where all reasonably practicable steps have been taken to minimise overheating through passive means.
The Government keeps the Building Regulations under review. The Building Safety Regulator is currently undertaking a technical review of Part O to consider whether changes may be needed, informed by evidence and stakeholder feedback.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of annual VAT losses arising from non-compliance by sellers operating through online marketplaces.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC has estimated annual VAT losses arising from non-compliance by sellers operating through online marketplaces could be hundreds of millions of pounds each year (see Extending VAT online marketplace liability to combat non-compliance, chapter 3. Introduction).
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what analysis his Department has undertaken of the effect of restrictions on new oil and gas licences on future domestic energy production.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The North Sea Transition Authority maintains projections of future UK oil and gas production, and these are published on its website.
Whilst North Sea oil and gas will remain a vital resource for decades to come, the basin is in natural decline, with a 75% reduction in production between 1999 and 2024. In the North Sea Future Plan, we explained that awarding new licences for oil and gas would only make a marginal difference to overall production. New licences would typically take up to 10 years to develop and would not make us energy secure.
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 potential impact of more timely Income Tax Self Assessment payments on people with fluctuating incomes.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At Autumn Budget 2025, the government announced more timely payments for Income Tax Self Assessment and committed to developing the policy with stakeholders through a public consultation. The consultation is now live on www.gov.uk and will close on 4 August 2026.
The government recognises that Self Assessment taxpayers may have seasonal or irregular income patterns and is carefully considering as part of the consultation process how to support such customers. The government welcomes responses from those who may be affected, which will inform the final policy design.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the additional revenue that will be generated by increasing the Electricity Generator Levy from 45 per cent to 55 per cent from 1 July 2026 in each financial year to the end of the levy period.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to PQ UIN 129581 on 28 April 2026, in which I set out that the Government will set out the fiscal impact of this change in the Autumn, with the costing certified by the OBR in the usual way.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the number of additional social homes that could be delivered annually as a result of introducing a zero rate of VAT on land intended for social housing.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recently published a consultation on introducing a zero rate of VAT for land intended for social housing. The proposed policy is intended to simplify and accelerate the construction of social housing in line with the Government’s wider strategy to increase housing supply and support the delivery of 1.5 million new homes over the course of this Parliament.
As part of this consultation, the Government is seeking views on the administration of the relief, including safeguards which may be necessary to protect against any misuse.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has assessed the potential impact of a zero rate of VAT on land intended for social housing on tax avoidance and abuse.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recently published a consultation on introducing a zero rate of VAT for land intended for social housing. The proposed policy is intended to simplify and accelerate the construction of social housing in line with the Government’s wider strategy to increase housing supply and support the delivery of 1.5 million new homes over the course of this Parliament.
As part of this consultation, the Government is seeking views on the administration of the relief, including safeguards which may be necessary to protect against any misuse.
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 effect of the increased Electricity Generator Levy on the UK's energy security.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Investing in clean energy at speed and scale can help tackle the climate crisis, create good jobs, protect billpayers and ensure energy security. The Electricity Generator Levy (EGL) has strong protections for new investments and renewable projects that operate according to the Contracts for Difference Scheme, both of which are exempt from the EGL.
The EGL was carefully designed to avoid disincentivising generation. This design means the EGL has had no adverse effect on the UK’s energy security since its introduction in 2023; the increase in the rate is not expected to affect energy security either.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the cost of introducing a zero rate of VAT on the sale of land intended for the construction of social housing.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recently published a consultation on introducing a zero rate of VAT for the sale of land intended for the construction of social housing. The proposed policy is intended to simplify and accelerate the construction of social housing in line with the government’s wider strategy to increase housing supply and support the delivery of 1.5 million new homes over the course of this Parliament.
An indicative costing of £10 million per year for this proposed policy was provided in the consultation document.