Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with Lancashire County Council and district councils in Fylde and Wyre on the design and delivery of Northern Powerhouse Rail.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) will deliver turn up and go railway services between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York. The economic rationale for NPR is to enable these areas to function as a single high productivity growth corridor. The Government has worked closely with local leaders in these areas and will continue to do so in taking the design and delivery of NPR forward.
The Government will still consider future rail improvement schemes more widely for areas such as Lancashire, for example through the future rail network enhancement programme, and it will engage with local leaders and Members on their priorities in the normal way.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how Members representing Lancashire constituencies will be consulted as Northern Powerhouse Rail proposals are developed.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) will deliver turn up and go railway services between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York. The economic rationale for NPR is to enable these areas to function as a single high productivity growth corridor. The Government has worked closely with local leaders in these areas and will continue to do so in taking the design and delivery of NPR forward.
The Government will still consider future rail improvement schemes more widely for areas such as Lancashire, for example through the future rail network enhancement programme, and it will engage with local leaders and Members on their priorities in the normal way.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Northern Powerhouse Rail on rail connectivity, journey times, frequency and rolling stock between Blackpool and Manchester.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Northern Powerhouse Rail will deliver turn up and go railway services between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York, with onward services to Newcastle, Hull and Chester for North Wales.
The scheme is expected to provide connectivity and growth benefits across the wider region. Government will work with local leaders to develop the details before decisions are made on future journey times and frequencies.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve public awareness of what drivers should do if they hit or find a deceased animal on the road, including domestic pets.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
I understand the distress of owners who lose beloved pets and it is a great source of worry and uncertainty when they are lost.
All drivers are encouraged to periodically to refresh their road safety knowledge. All road users are required to comply with road traffic law in the interests of their own safety and that of other road users.
Under section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, a driver is required to stop and report a collision involving specified animals including horses, cattle, asses, mules, sheep, pigs, goats or dogs, but not cats or wild animals. This requirement arises from their status as working animals rather than as domestic pets.
Although there is no obligation to report all animal deaths on roads, drivers should, if possible, make enquiries to ascertain the owner of domestic animals, such as cats, and advise them of the situation.
In terms of the national road network, National Highways has clear guidelines for contractors to follow when they find a deceased cat or dog. This process is designed with owners in mind, giving them the best chance of being informed of the incident to allow closure; the process is set out in the Network Management Manual.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing holders of a UK Category B driving licence to drive motorhomes with a maximum mass of 4,250kg.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has not yet made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing holders of a Category B driving licence to drive motorhomes with a maximum mass of up to 4,250kg. I acknowledge that this change is within the EU 4th Driving Licence Directive and the Department is considering whether to apply similar measures within Great Britain.
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, pursuant to the written answer 100620 of 6 Jan 2025 on Slaughterhouses, whether the Food Standards Agency plans to begin routinely recording the method of slaughter used at the time an animal welfare breach is identified.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Approved slaughterhouses may use any legally compliant slaughter method. They are not required to notify the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in advance of the method to be used. Many establishments alternate between stunned and non‑stunned slaughter to meet differing market and trade requirements.
Breaches most commonly arise before slaughter commences. They are typically recorded for enforcement before a decision by the slaughterhouse operator on the slaughter method to be used. Examples include the handling of animals during unloading, or failures to provide adequate feed, water, or bedding.
As a result, in most cases the FSA is unable to attribute animal welfare breaches to a specific slaughter method because they occur prior to slaughter.
Similarly, requirements relating to CCTV, such as ensuring camera lenses are clean and recordings are securely retained, apply regardless of the slaughter method used. These do not necessitate different enforcement approaches based on the slaughter method. Attributing these types of failure to a particular slaughter method would be misleading.
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, pursuant to the written answer 100620 of 6 Jan 2025 on Slaughterhouses, how many slaughterhouses were subject to more than one enforcement action for animal welfare breaches in each of the last five years.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Approved slaughterhouses may use any legally compliant slaughter method. They are not required to notify the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in advance of the method to be used. Many establishments alternate between stunned and non‑stunned slaughter to meet differing market and trade requirements.
Breaches most commonly arise before slaughter commences. They are typically recorded for enforcement before a decision by the slaughterhouse operator on the slaughter method to be used. Examples include the handling of animals during unloading, or failures to provide adequate feed, water, or bedding.
As a result, in most cases the FSA is unable to attribute animal welfare breaches to a specific slaughter method because they occur prior to slaughter.
Similarly, requirements relating to CCTV, such as ensuring camera lenses are clean and recordings are securely retained, apply regardless of the slaughter method used. These do not necessitate different enforcement approaches based on the slaughter method. Attributing these types of failure to a particular slaughter method would be misleading.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2026 to Question 107489 on Child Benefit: Maladministration, what records her Department holds on weekly management information and feedback from the compliance teams working the cases, in the context of page 10 of Data Protection Impact Assessment 15489.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
As set out in the Data Protection Impact Assessment, HMRC teams share management information and feedback on a weekly basis. This helps teams ensure that processes run as smoothly as possible.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will reconsider the decision to withdraw the childminder tax agreement BIM 52751.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Childminders play a vital role in childcare. The Government has eased rules on working from schools and community centres and increased early years funding rates above 2023 average fees. These increases reflect increased costs, and from April 2026, local authorities must pass at least 97 per cent of funding to providers.
At Budget 2025 the Government confirmed that the standard rules for calculating income tax would apply to childminders who are mandated into Making Tax Digital (MTD). We will phase in this change between 2026 and 2028, in line with the MTD income thresholds. The threshold from April 2026 is £50,000 of qualifying income, reducing to £30,000 from April 2027 and £20,000 from April 2028.
HMRC’s Business Income manual page BIM52751 is not being withdrawn. A revised version will be published in early 2026 to reflect the Government’s confirmation at Budget 2025 that the standard rules for calculating income tax will apply to childminders within Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. The guidance will also be clarified for childminders that work from non-domestic premises.
Childminders can continue to claim tax relief for wear and tear by deducting the actual cost of buying, repairing or replacing items. They can also deduct the cost of business expenses such as utilities, cleaning and equipment. This ensures childminders receive tax relief for all of the costs that they incur in relation to their childminding business.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department issues to local authorities, police forces and licensed premises on the operation of Pubwatch schemes.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Pubwatch schemes are voluntary, licensee-led local partnerships that operate independently of Government. Advice and practical resources for such schemes are provided by the National Pubwatch charity, which supports local groups across the country.
Separately, the Home Secretary issues statutory section 182 guidance under the Licensing Act 2003 to licensing authorities in England and Wales on the discharge of their functions. Licensing authorities must have regard to this guidance, which supports partnership working between licensing authorities, the police and industry to promote the four licensing objectives.
The section 182 guidance does not set operational requirements for Pubwatch schemes but does recognise and support industry led schemes such as Pubwatch as examples of good practice in promoting safer, well run licensed premises.