Jon Pearce

The Department previously estimated that around 1,000 employee jobs were covered by the National Minimum and Living Wage in the High Peak constituency in 2020.

More recent estimates based on the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings are subject to a high level of uncertainty due to lower-than-usual achieved sample size.

Therefore, the Department is unable to provide a more recent estimate, as per the Code of Practice for Statistics.

According to Ofcom’s Connected Nations report, in 2019, 86% of premises in the High Peak constituency could access a superfast (>=30mbps) broadband connection. By 2024, that figure had risen to 95%.

This Government wants to make this country the best place in the world to be a football fan. That is why the King’s Speech set out our plans for legislation to establish an independent football regulator.

The new regulator will protect and promote the sustainability of English football. The Bill will provide greater protections to club heritage and give fans more of a voice in how their club is run. It will ensure responsible owners for these community assets, by creating a new owners’ and directors’ test. It will also ensure that clubs can’t be syphoned off from the English football pyramid to set up closed-shop and breakaway leagues.

We will introduce this legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

This Government wants to make this country the best place in the world to be a football fan. That is why the King’s Speech set out our plans for legislation to establish an independent football regulator.

The new regulator will protect and promote the sustainability of English football. The Bill will provide greater protections to club heritage and give fans more of a voice in how their club is run. It will ensure responsible owners for these community assets, by creating a new owners’ and directors’ test. It will also ensure that clubs can’t be syphoned off from the English football pyramid to set up closed-shop and breakaway leagues.

We will introduce this legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

This government is committed to providing the necessary support to improve the experiences for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families. The department is committed to taking a community-wide approach, improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools and alternative provision settings, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.

A new Ofsted and Care Quality Commission area SEND inspection framework was launched in January 2023. All local areas are due to receive a full inspection within five years, supporting local areas to achieve better outcomes and standards in line with our programme of reform.

Where a council does not meet its duties, the department can take action that prioritises children’s needs and supports local areas to bring about rapid improvement. The department works to monitor, support and challenge local authorities, working closely with NHS England to tackle weaknesses that sit with health partners.

The department does not collect information from schools about the number or proportion of their pupils learning a musical instrument at school.

Schools can seek the support of their local Music Hub in providing music education, including support for instrumental teaching. Arts Council England is the fundholder for the Music Hubs programme and collects and publishes information about the activity of each of the Music Hubs. This information is about the music education activity or support the Hubs provide and does not include information on what schools provide without the support of the Hub.

The High Peak constituency is served by Derbyshire Music Education Hub, which provides opportunities to learn an instrument, including through whole class ensemble teaching across the local authority areas of Derby and Derbyshire.

In 2022/23, 47.4% of state-funded schools across Derby and Derbyshire were supported with whole class ensemble teaching. The Hub also delivered or supported lessons to 2,244 pupils in small group tuition, 5,447 pupils in individual lessons, and 6,149 pupils as part of large group lessons. In addition, 1,577 pupils participated in Hub-led or Hub-supported ensembles and group activity, and instruments were loaned to 302 schools during 2022/23.

The 2022/23 data was published on 20 May 2024 and can be accessed on the Arts Council’s website, which is available here: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/MusicEducationHubs/music-education-hubs-survey-and-data#t-in-page-nav-2.

The department recognises the importance of oracy. Communication skills are essential throughout life, and the foundations of these skills are developed during the early years and the first part of primary school. Delayed development of communication skills can have serious consequences for children’s learning, and there is good evidence that spoken language skills are strongly associated with children’s literacy, numeracy and educational attainment.

This government will fund evidence-based early-language interventions in primary schools, so that every child can find their voice. In July 2024, the department announced that funded support for the 11,100 schools registered for the Nuffield Early Language Intervention programme would continue for the 2024/25 academic year.

Spoken language is already part of the national curriculum for English for 5 to 16 year olds and is delivered in a number of different ways.

The government has established an independent review of curriculum, assessment and qualification pathways, covering Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 5. This will be chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE, an expert in education policy, including in curriculum and social inequality. The Review will seek to deliver, amongst other things, a curriculum that ensures children and young people leave compulsory education ready for life and ready for work, building the knowledge, skills and attributes young people need to thrive. This includes embedding digital, oracy and life skills in their learning.

English Hubs support early language through the delivery of Medium Level Support, which is a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) offer that includes targeted support, CPD programmes and workshops. English Hubs deliver the universal early language CPD programme to schools over six sessions. So far, over £90 million has been invested in the English Hubs programme overall, with a further £23 million committed for the 2024/25 academic year. High Peak’s local English Hub is St Wilfrid’s. More information about the Hub is available here: https://stwenglishhub.co.uk/.

As of January 2024, 26%, or 1,725 pupils, of state-funded primary school pupils and 24%, or 1,286 pupils, of state-funded secondary school pupils attending schools in High Peak constituency were eligible for and claiming free school meals. This compares with national rates of 24% of primary school pupils and 24% of secondary school pupils in the whole of England. These figures are from the school census and are published down to school level here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.

Information on the school workforce, including the pupil to adult and pupil to teacher ratios at national, regional, local authority and individual school level, is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.

As at November 2023, which is the latest data available, there were 468,700 full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state funded schools in England. This is an increase of 27,300, equivalent to 6%, since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.

The table below provides the pupil to adult ratio and the pupil to teacher ratio for state-funded secondary schools in High Peak constituency and England for the 2019/20 to 2022/23 academic years.

Pupil to adult and pupil to teacher ratios for state-funded secondary schools in High Peak constituency and England, by year 2019/20 to 2022/23¹

Source: School Workforce Census.

1. Workforce data as at November and pupil data as at the following January. For instance, 2019/20 relates to November 2019 workforce and January 2020 pupils.

2. There are 7 secondary schools in High Peak constituency.

3. Pupil to adult ratio includes teachers and support staff (excluding auxiliary staff).

4. Pupil to teacher ratio includes all teachers.

5. The ratios are calculated using pupil numbers taken from the publication, Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.

In the first week of Government, the Secretary of State met with water company bosses, to make it clear that water firms will be held accountable for their performance for customers and the environment. During the meeting, water bosses signed up to the Government’s initial package of reforms to reduce sewage pollution and attract investment to upgrade infrastructure.

The Government also announced a new Water (Special Measures) Bill, which will turn around the performance of water companies, in the King’s Speech. The Bill will strengthen regulation, give the water regulator new powers to ban the payment of bonuses if environmental standards are not met and increase accountability for water executives. These are the first critical steps in enabling a long-term and transformative reset of the entire water sector.

I would also refer the hon. Member to the Written Statement made by the Secretary of State on 18 July, HCWS3.

As of 29 July 2024, there are 58 farmers with a live Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) agreement (SFI Pilot and SFI 23) in the High Peak constituency.

While many users make use of these rights in a responsible way, the Government is aware of damage and disturbance caused by excessive use of off-road motor vehicles on highways where such activities are legal, such as byways open to all traffic and on other unsealed roads which carry motor vehicle rights, often referred to as ‘green lanes’. Motor vehicle use on green lanes can damage the surface and reduce enjoyment of the route by other users. Defra consulted on banning vehicles from green lanes as part of the 2019 Landscapes Review, but a legislative ban to remove vehicular rights was not supported. Defra believes that the current Traffic Regulation Order process is legally robust enough to protect green lanes with carefully targeted local action to protect sensitive areas, while allowing vehicle users to responsibly enjoy the countryside.

It is local authorities’ responsibility to monitor and repair public rights of way, which includes green lanes.

The new Government are fully committed to the Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes.

Government will restore stability and confidence amongst farmers and will not overturn the applecart by overhauling the schemes.  Instead, we will optimise schemes and grants in an orderly way, ensuring they produce the right outcomes for all farmers, food security and nature’s recovery in a just and equitable way.

The best way to do all of this effectively is to listen to farmers and others with a stake in our food system, countryside and nature. The Government is doing this as well as assessing data and information about what’s working and what isn’t before setting out detailed plans.

We plan to increase the transparency of schemes and will continue to design our policies in partnership with farmers to make sure there is something for everyone- including small, grassland, upland and tenanted farms.

Passenger service is at the heart of our plans to improve Britain’s railways and it is clear the role that station staff play in supporting vulnerable passengers. This Government has no plans to close ticket offices and we expect train operating companies to take measures to ensure they are open at published times.

There are no proposals for online-only booking at railway stations. Ensuring accessibility for all passengers is at the heart of our passenger-focused approach. As modern ticketing and payment methods roll out more widely on the railways, we will ensure that all passengers, including those who need to use cash or do not have access to smartphones or the internet, are able to buy a ticket across the different retail options.

The information requested is not available.

The requested information is published in the Move to Universal Credit statistics:

Move to Universal Credit statistics, July 2022 to March 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Worksheet 20 shows Households sent Migration Notices by Parliamentary Constituency and worksheet 22 shows households that have made a claim to Universal Credit by Parliamentary Constituency.

The latest available Pension Credit take-up statistics cover the financial year 2021 to 2022 and are available at: Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year ending 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). However, these statistics are only available at Great Britain level and cannot be broken down to smaller geographical areas.

Official statistics for the number of people on Universal Credit are published each month on Stat-Xplore, with breakdowns available by Westminster Parliamentary Constituency. The latest statistics are to June 2024, with a breakdown by employment indicator available to May 2024.

Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access general guidance on how to extract the information required, with more detailed guidance available in the Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide.

Statistics on the number of people on Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance, who are in employment, are not readily available and to provide them would incur disproportionate cost.

Lord Darzi's report made clear the NHS suffered from a failure to reform over the last 15 years. This government will deliver this reform with investment to turn services around.

Reform is at the heart of our health mission and will be delivered by the upcoming 10 Year Plan for Health – delivering on the three shifts needed to move healthcare from hospital to the community, analogue to digital, sickness to prevention.

We are also committed to building consensus on the long-term reform needed to create a National Care Service.

We know that patients are finding it harder than ever to see a general practitioner (GP), and we are committed to fixing this crisis in GPs to secure the long-term sustainability of the National Health Service. High Peak sits within the NHS Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), where the percentage of appointments delivered within two weeks of booking is 12.7% lower than the national average.

This government has committed to fixing the front door to the NHS by shifting the focus from hospitals and into the community. We know that if patients can’t get a GP appointment, they will end up in A&E, which is worse for them, and more expensive for the taxpayer.

NHS England is working to address training bottlenecks so the health service has enough staff for the future, and we are providing £82m to fund the recruitment over 1,000 newly qualified GPs, to increase capacity and reduce workloads.

We are pleased to announce that newly qualified GPs will be included in the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme as part of an initiative to address GP unemployment, with additional funding over 2024/25.

We have committed to training thousands more GPs across the country as well as taking pressure off those currently working in the system.

Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) reports that it supports recruitment and retention in the High Peak and across Derby and Derbyshire, providing a range of initiatives. These include a new to practice scheme that supports GPs and Practice Nurses for the first two years of their career, and GP mentorship and fellowship schemes.

We have accepted the recommendations of the DDRB, the independent pay review body, in full and subject to consultation with the BMA will uplift the pay element of the GP contract by 6% on a consolidated basis, to provide practices with funding to uplift GP partner, salaried GP and other salaried staff pay by 6%.

Funding for these awards will be backdated to April 2024, and it is our expectation this funding is passed on to all salaried general practice staff.

The government recently announced changes to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme which allows primary care networks to recruit newly qualified GPs through the scheme for 24/25. This is an emergency measure whilst the government works with the profession to identify a longer term solution.

People with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they need, which is why we will ensure we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health, so that people can be confident in accessing high quality mental health support when they need it. As set out in the NHS Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance for 2024/25, NHS England is continuing to expand access to mental health services, to increase the number of people accessing mental health support. We plan to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across child and adult mental health services in England, including in the High Peak constituency, to reduce delays and provide faster treatment.

Reducing waiting times for elective surgery is a key part of our Health Mission, including for people in the High Peak constituency. We will start by delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week across the country, as the first step in our commitment to ensuring patients can expect to be treated within 18 weeks. We are also addressing the challenges in diagnostic waiting times and will ensure we have the number of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans, and other tests, that are needed to reduce elective and cancer waits.

The information for the tax year 2022 to 2023 is not yet available.

Table 3.15 of HMRC’s Personal Incomes Statistics contains the latest constituency-level income estimates for the tax year 2021 to 2022.

The Government does not hold bank branch closure data from 2010.

Guidance from the FCA sets out its expectation of firms when they are deciding to reduce their physical branches or the number of free-to-use ATMs. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on their customers’ everyday banking and cash access needs, and put in place alternatives, where this is reasonable.

Alternative options to access everyday banking services can include telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking, and via one of the UK’s 11,500 Post Office branches.

The Government recognises the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and high streets. The Government has therefore committed to work closely with banks to roll out at least 350 banking hubs, which provide individuals and businesses up and down the country with critical cash and banking services.

The Government does not hold bank branch closure data from 2010.

Guidance from the FCA sets out its expectation of firms when they are deciding to reduce their physical branches or the number of free-to-use ATMs. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on their customers’ everyday banking and cash access needs, and put in place alternatives, where this is reasonable.

Alternative options to access everyday banking services can include telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking, and via one of the UK’s 11,500 Post Office branches.

The Government recognises the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and high streets. The Government has therefore committed to work closely with banks to roll out at least 350 banking hubs, which provide individuals and businesses up and down the country with critical cash and banking services.

The government is focused on improving living standards across the country, which is why economic growth remains a top priority. If Real Household Disposable Income per capita had grown at the same rate between 2010 and 2023 as it did from 1997 to 2010, it would be over £4,000 higher today.

We are committed to ensuring economic stability, by keeping inflation and energy bills as low as possible. To do this, we need to fix the foundations and rebuild Britain, so we can make every part of our country better off. That is why we will soon outline plans to improve energy efficiency across the UK’s housing stock, helping to reduce energy consumption, emissions, and household bills. Further details will be outlined in the upcoming Spending Review.

A new Ministerial Taskforce has been established to develop a comprehensive strategy to reduce child poverty. We have updated the remit of the Low Pay Commission to take to account of the cost of living when making recommendations on the National Living Wage.

We will collaborate with Claire Ward, the East Midlands Mayor, and the Combined County Authority, to develop an ambitious, long-term Local Growth Plan for the area, including High Peak and Derbyshire. This plan will address local strengths and barriers to growth in the East Midlands, aiming to drive economic growth, narrow inequalities, and support delivery of the national industrial strategy.

Data is not collected by the government on high street closures.

The government is committed to a fairer business rates system. The retail sector accounts for approximately 21% of Rateable Value but only contributes 5% to Gross Value Added (GVA). In our manifesto, we pledged to level the playing field between the high street and online giants, as well as to take steps to incentivise investment, tackle empty properties and support entrepreneurship.