Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the effective prosecution of the perpetrators of winter fuel payment scams targeting pensioners.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) recognises the serious harm caused by such scams targeting vulnerable and older people, including those exploiting winter fuel payments. The CPS will prosecute any such cases referred that meet their legal test.
The CPS’ approach to tackling fraud and protecting vulnerable victims is set out in the CPS Economic Crime Strategy 2025 Final Progress Report which was published in May 2025. The CPS continues to engage with Age UK and other civil society partners on a broad range of economic crime issues to understand victims’ concerns and improve support.
Although the CPS cannot disaggregate its Fraud and Forgery Principal Offence Category Data to identify the number of prosecutions specifically related to winter fuel payment scams, since 2021, the CPS has maintained strong performance in fraud prosecutions, securing conviction rates of over 85%.
Over the last five years, more than £458 million has been recovered through CPS-obtained confiscation orders, with £95 million returned to victims by way of compensation.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the Infected Blood Compensation Authority’s new registration service is accessible to claimants who (a) are digitally excluded and (b) have limited digital literacy.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The delivery of compensation, including the opening of a registration service, is a matter for the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA). IBCA opened their registration service on 9th October to allow people to register their intent to claim online. Those who are unable to register online or who require additional support can call IBCA’s dedicated registration support line on 0141 471 8886. Additionally, an individual can ask someone to register on their behalf. This could be a family member, trusted adult, legal representative, carer or someone with power of attorney. IBCA has worked with infected blood charities and community groups to raise awareness of the registration service opening.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what support his Department has provided to bereaved families of infected individuals who died without receiving compensation to ensure awareness of the new registration process.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The delivery of compensation, including the opening of a registration service, is a matter for the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA). IBCA opened their registration service on 9th October to allow people to register their intent to claim online. Those who are unable to register online or who require additional support can call IBCA’s dedicated registration support line on 0141 471 8886. Additionally, an individual can ask someone to register on their behalf. This could be a family member, trusted adult, legal representative, carer or someone with power of attorney. IBCA has worked with infected blood charities and community groups to raise awareness of the registration service opening.
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 discussions she has had with social media platforms on reducing the advertisement and sale of counterfeit toys online.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is the independent regulator for advertising in the UK and enforces the Advertising Codes. These codes include specific rules intended to protect consumers from misleading marketing communications, which would apply to adverts for toys. If advertising includes the omission, exaggeration, or ambiguous presentation of information, it can be considered misleading. The ASA works with online platforms via its Intermediary and Platform Principles to promote greater adherence to the non-broadcast advertising codes, resulting in more responsible advertising online.
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 also requires online marketplaces to exercise professional diligence in relation to consumer transactions promoted or made on their platforms, which would include the sale of toys. The Government commenced Part 4, Chapter 1 of the Act, which sets out the rules for unfair trading, in April 2025.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of abolishing business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Business rates are a vital source of revenue for Local Government. The Government is creating a fairer business rates system that protects the high street, supports investment, and is fit for the 21st century.
As announced at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government will introduce permanently lower multipliers for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties with ratable values below £500,000 from 2026-27. This permanent tax cut will ensure they benefit from much-needed certainty and support.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to increase business coaching in schools; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a named business coach in secondary schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Businesses are already strongly encouraged to support careers education in schools and colleges throughout England. The national network of 44 careers hubs supports 96% of secondary schools and colleges and engages with over 400 leading employers, working together to improve careers guidance and inspire young people.
There are a number of ways that businesses and stakeholders can support careers education through engagement with The Careers & Enterprise Company, such as through the Enterprise Adviser programme, a network of approximately 3,700 business volunteers from various employment sectors and backgrounds who offer support to schools and colleges.
The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review is evaluating the existing national curriculum and statutory assessment system in England to ensure they are fit for purpose. It is considering whether there is sufficient coverage of knowledge and skills that are essential to sufficiently prepare children and young people for future life and to thrive in a fast-changing world. The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published this autumn, at which point the government will respond.
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, if he will take steps to include the mutual recognition of mandatory training qualifications between NHS Trusts in the forthcoming NHS Workforce Strategy.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are committed to reforming mandatory training by April 2026, to ease the burden on frontline staff and to allow a more flexible approach to workforce development.
NHS England is already leading work to optimise, rationalise, and redesign statutory and mandatory training. This includes reducing the duplication of training when staff move organisation or rotate through their training programme. The mutual recognition agreement has already been signed by 262 National Health Service organisations across England and went live on 1 May 2025, so it is in place and is expected to continue to reduce the unnecessary burden on staff.
The next stage of the reform work will see a new competency framework published that will fundamentally reform current training, further reducing the burden of unnecessary training, and focus on building the competence to improve the quality of services and safety across the NHS workforce.
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 steps he is taking to ensure equitable access to participation in mental health clinical trials across different (a) regions and (b) demographic groups in (i) general and (ii) Lancashire.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments, including mental health clinical trials.
The Department funds research and research infrastructure across England through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research, including on mental health.
NIHR research infrastructure has national coverage across all National Health Service trusts in England, through 12 regions, to build research capacity and capability across all geographies and settings.
The NIHR provides an online service called 'Be Part of Research' which promotes participation in health and social care research, by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest. This makes it easier for people to find and take part in health and care research that is relevant to them, including mental health clinical trials.
Through the NIHR’s Research Delivery Network (RDN), the NIHR funds the delivery of research in the North West, including for mental health trusts, and supports recruitment and screening for all eligible participants across Lancashire.
From 2026/27, the RDN will adopt a new national funding model for NHS support costs and research delivery. This will be a consistent, nationally agreed funding distribution model across all regions of England and will reduce regional variation in health research delivery investment. This aims to reduce inequity in research delivery across all therapy and geography areas, including in underserved areas and settings.
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 number of child (a) injuries and (b) illnesses linked to counterfeit toys in the last five years.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not collect or hold this data. The National Health Service classifies injuries and illnesses by diagnosis rather than cause. Hospital Episode Statistics do not have an International Classification of Disease code for counterfeit products.
The Department acknowledges increasing concerns regarding the potential health risks to children associated with fake and counterfeit products. Children’s health remains a priority for the Government.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the total value of landfill tax reclaimed by private landfill operators for (a) cover and (b) fluff material since 2000.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Landfill Tax was introduced in 1996 as a behavioural tax encouraging the diversion of material away from landfill to reuse and recycling. It has been a key driver behind local authority waste to landfill in England falling by 90% since 2000.
HMRC refunded landfill tax reclaimed by private landfill operators following the Waste Recycling Group Limited case in 2008. £147m related to daily cover and haul roads and £133m related to base and side fluff. Refunds ceased in 2013 and since then repayment claims totaling £3.9bn have been prevented as a result of successful litigation.