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, how many instances of Postpartum haemorrhage occurred in Fylde constituency in each of the last five years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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 his Department has made of the adequacy of the resilience of domestic food production capacity to major geopolitical disruptions.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Food security is a core national priority. UK self-sufficiency has remained broadly stable for several decades. In 2024, the UK was 65% self-sufficient for all food; 77% for food that can be produced here. In most scenarios, strong domestic production and imports through stable trade routes ensure food supply is maintained and can withstand disruptive events, including geopolitical disruptions.
Defra works with industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise, this includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains.
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 the Government Resilience Framework in reducing food security risks.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Food security is a core national priority. Defra works with industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise, this includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to food supply risks.
The previous Government published the UK Resilience Framework in 2022.
This government has been clear that resilience is a shared responsibility across the whole of society and published its Resilience Action Plan to enhance preparedness and response risks, including those that may affect food supply chains.
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 assessment he has made of the potential impact of increases in electricity standing charges on farm businesses in Fylde constituency.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises concerns about the impact of standing charges on business consumers and is committed to ensuring that energy costs are recovered fairly.
We are working closely with Ofgem as it undertakes its Cost Allocation and Recovery Review, which is considering how fixed system costs, including those commonly recovered through standing charges, are allocated across domestic and non-domestic consumers and whether they could be recovered in fairer and more progressive ways, including in relation to regional differences.
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 assessment he has made of the potential impact of industrial energy costs on the competitiveness of high street businesses and the wider retail, hospitality and leisure sectors.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises that businesses are under pressure from high energy costs. Recent instability in the Middle East has shown how global events can push up prices here at home. Through Clean Power by 2030, we are investing in clean, homegrown power to strengthen energy security and bring bills down for good. We are also supporting hospitality businesses directly through the Zero Carbon Services trial, which helped over 600 SMEs cut energy use, with projected savings of over £3 million a year.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will assess the potential merits of suspending import tariffs on fertiliser products, including urea and ammonium nitrate, in the context of levels of geopolitical instability.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has launched a call for input on suspending tariffs on a range of fertilisers, including urea. Businesses and other stakeholders have the opportunity to suggest additional fertiliser products are suspended as part of that call for input, which is due to end on the 24th June.
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 the average waiting time was for patients transferred from the Accident and Emergency department at Blackpool Victoria Hospital to a Medical Assessment Unit before receiving a clinical decision in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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, how many patients at Blackpool Victoria Hospital experienced waits exceeding 12 hours from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge in the latest year for which figures are available.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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 the increase in employer National Insurance contributions introduced in April 2025 on employment levels in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors in Lancashire and the Fylde constituency.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has taken a number of fair and necessary decisions on tax, welfare, and spending to fix the public finances and fund public services. One of these decisions, taken at Autumn Budget 2024, was to increase the rate of employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) whilst reducing the per-employee threshold at which employers start to pay NICs.
Businesses are able to claim employer NICs reliefs including those for under-21s and under-25 apprentices. This means employers pay no employer NICs for apprentices under 25 or employees under 21 on earnings up to £50,270. These reliefs are estimated to have been worth around £2.5 billion in 2025/26.
A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer; the economic impacts of the policy; and the impacts on individuals, businesses and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts.
Estimates of the impact on employment levels on certain sectors in Lancashire and the Fylde constituency, from changes to Employer NICs announced at Autumn Budget 2024, are not available.
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 impact of employer National Insurance contribution changes on consumer prices in supermarkets.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts.
The Government has already taken action to help reduce the cost of living by announcing that it is suspending tariffs on food to bring down prices for consumers. An initial list was published on 20 May for implementation on 21 June. A call for input opened on 27 May and is due to close on 24 June, to get views from businesses and other stakeholders on a second package of tariff suspensions.
Consumer price inflation (CPI) for food and non-alcoholic beverages fell from 3.7% in March to 3% in April.