Asked by: John Whitby (Labour - Derbyshire Dales)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what progress her Department has made on the rollout of gigabit broadband in Derbyshire Dales constituency.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
In May 2025, BDUK and Full Fibre mutually agreed to end the Project Gigabit contract for the Peak District, affecting some Derbyshire Dales premises
Since then, BDUK has worked with suppliers on alternatives and is now close to agreeing a replacement contract with Openreach. We know this has taken time, but we are working hard to have the contract in place within the next month
Separately, over 3,200 premises across the constituency are already being reached through two Project Gigabit contracts with Connect Fibre.
Asked by: John Whitby (Labour - Derbyshire Dales)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of not expanding Healthy Babies funding to all local authority areas from April 2026.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10-Year Health Plan sets out an ambitious agenda for how we will improve the nation’s health by creating a new model of care that is fit for the future.
We recognise that local authorities are ambitious, seeking to deliver universal support to families and prevent escalating need. We are committed to delivering the 10-Year Health Plan ambition to match Healthy Babies, formerly Start for Life, to Best Start Family Hubs over the next decade.
From April, the Government is rolling out Best Start Family Hubs to all local authorities, backed by over £500 million to reach up to half a million more children and families. This funding will help embed hubs within a wider support system, including integrated child health services, and will enable proactive identification and support for health issues and early developmental delays.
Asked by: John Whitby (Labour - Derbyshire Dales)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps her Department is taking to help prevent the detention of children from Gaza and the West Bank by the Israeli military.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are deeply concerned about the detention of Palestinian children by the Israeli military and about allegations of abuse against those children, including sexual violence.
The UK calls for all such reports to be fully investigated. The arrest and detention of children must follow due process, in line with international juvenile justice standards.
We also call on all parties to the conflict to grant the International Committee of the Red Cross immediate and unfettered access.
Asked by: John Whitby (Labour - Derbyshire Dales)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department intends to bring forward legislative proposals to implement the reforms to National Parks governance and purposes announced in December 2024.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to implementing the reforms announced in December 2024 as soon as parliamentary time allows.
As set out in the revised Environment Improvement Plan we will champion Protected Landscapes by refreshing our national vision for these special places, eliminating bureaucratic barriers and ensuring teams have the tools and resources to achieve our ambitions.
Asked by: John Whitby (Labour - Derbyshire Dales)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps the forthcoming Local Power Plan will take to support partnerships between schools, local authorities and community energy groups to deliver increased levels of community energy.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The forthcoming Local Power Plan will be a joint document owned by GBE and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero which will outline our shared vision for the local and community energy sector.
We are continuing to develop the Local Power Plan with GBE and updates will be provided soon.
Asked by: John Whitby (Labour - Derbyshire Dales)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what process will be used to value family businesses after the changes to Business Property Relief are introduced.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The inheritance tax value of a person’s estate is the open market value of all their assets and liabilities. The forthcoming changes to business property relief will not change the existing rules on valuing a business. Valuation assumes a sale between a hypothetical seller and buyer, reflecting reality for all other factors such as industry conditions, trading history, and prospects, according to industry standards.
Asked by: John Whitby (Labour - Derbyshire Dales)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support is in place to support local authorities with Best Start Family Hubs to ensure their offer is effective and evidence-based.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Through the delivery grant, all local authorities will receive funding from the department for developing and implementing Best Start local plans. This includes funding for a Best Start in Life system leadership function to take forward transformation activity locally, connecting and integrating local partners to respond to local needs.
Further detail on this was shared with local authorities via funding allocation letters on 7 November, covering the three financial years 2026-29. Evidence based intervention (EBI) menus have also been developed and shared to support local authorities in selecting programmes that are both impactful and feasible to deliver starting from April 2026.
Local authorities will be supported to embed and enhance their family hubs models, be ambitious in their approach, and integrate EBIs. The National Centre for Family Hubs, which is a delivery support provider is also working closely with local authorities to help them to identify the right EBIs suited to their population needs.
Asked by: John Whitby (Labour - Derbyshire Dales)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take legislative steps to expand access rights for swimming and non-motorised craft on inland waters.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the importance of access to nature for people’s health and well-being, and is considering the best approach to improving that, including access onto unregulated inland waterways. We are committed to working with stakeholders as this develops.
Asked by: John Whitby (Labour - Derbyshire Dales)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding Sport England is providing to support the development of Futsal in 2025-2026 financial year.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
In the 2025-2026 financial year, Sport England has allocated a total of £165,325 across 17 multi-sport awards where Futsal is specifically included as one of the supported sports or activities.
In addition, Sport England is providing a total investment of £37.9 million into The Football Association over the five-year period from 2022 to 2027. This long-term commitment supports the development of all formats of football, including Futsal.
Asked by: John Whitby (Labour - Derbyshire Dales)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many hectares of privately-owned Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites have received public subsidies to restore them into good ecological condition in the last 2 years.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) scheme supports the restoration of Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS).
In 2023 there was around 1,100 ha that received subsidies for the restoration of Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) under the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier scheme which increased to around 1,900 ha of land in 2024. It is not possible to differentiate between publicly and privately owned land within this figure.
To Note: The payment window for existing CSHT agreements opens on the 01 December and receive annual payments. Applicants with a New CSHT agreement will receive quarterly payments.