Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many defence jobs (a) supported by direct expenditure by his Department and (b) in SMEs in the supply chain there are in Bolsover constituency.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The number of direct and indirect jobs supported by Ministry of Defence (MOD) expenditure with UK industry in 2022-23 by region can be found in the MOD supported employment estimates 2022/23 report on gov.uk.
This shows MOD expenditure with UK industry in the East Midlands supported 5,500 direct jobs. The MOD does not hold the information in the format required to provide a more specific breakdown.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to protect bus services in Derbyshire that travel to (a) hospitals, (b) leisure attractions and (c) other key out of town locations.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England, including ensuring access to vital local services such as hospitals or providing links to leisure attractions. The government has committed to increasing accountability by including a measure on socially necessary services so that local authorities and bus operators have to have regard for alternatives to changing or cancelling services.
In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities, of which East Midlands Combined County Authority has been allocated £40.5 million. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many bus routes have been registered in Derbyshire in each of the last five years.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain only publish data on a Traffic Area wide basis. The North Western Traffic Area includes the counties of Derbyshire, Cumbria, Lancashire, Cheshire, and the metropolitan boroughs of Merseyside and Greater Manchester. Between the 2019-20 and 2023-24 reporting years the Traffic Commissioner annual reports detail the following:
Applications Processed | ||||
| Live local bus registrations | New | Variations | Existing registrations cancelled |
2023-24 | 1665 | 541 | 1014 | 752 |
2022-23 | 2028 | 420 | 1569 | 617 |
2021-22 | 2679 | 487 | 1952 | 560 |
2020-21 | 2847 | 258 | 2393 | 254 |
2019-20 | 3177 | 548 | 1875 | 577 |
An existing registration being cancelled does not always mean a bus route was closed. For example, a registration could have been cancelled and replaced with another registration that covers much of the same route, or the route continues to be served by different operator.
It should also be noted that prior to 2019-20 the total number of live local bus service registrations included an element of double-counting as services running across multiple local authority areas were recorded multiple times, e.g. a service running between Derbyshire and Greater Manchester was presented as two services when it should have been counted as a single service. This has now been rectified.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of 18-year-olds have taken (a) three or (b) more A-levels in (i) Bolsover constituency, (ii) Derbyshire and (iii) England in each of the last five academic years.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The attached table shows the number and proportion of students entering at least three A levels in England, the Bolsover constituency and the Derbyshire local authority over the past five academic years, broken down by the number of A level entries.
There were zero A level students in the Bolsover constituency in the years in question.
Data is based on students attending schools and colleges located in each geographic area who have reached the end of 16-18 study.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of key stage four students who completed their GCSEs went on to each destination in (a) Bolsover, (b) Derbyshire and (c) England in each of the last five academic years for which data is available.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department publishes information on the percentage of pupils continuing to a sustained education, apprenticeship or employment destination in England in the year after completing key stage 4 study (after year 11) from state-funded mainstream schools.
The data in the links below contain the data requested.
Derbyshire: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/d0be6793-1dd3-41a7-800e-08dd45163c72.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with National Highways on works to improve congestion at junction 28 of the M1.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Officials from my Department regularly engage with National Highways on the progress of proposals to improve the safety and performance of Junction 28 of the M1. The proposals are in early stages of development and are being considered for possible delivery as part of a future Road Investment Strategy.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of parliamentary constituencies in England do not have sixth form provision within their constituency boundaries.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Information on each educational establishment in England is available on the Get Information About Schools service, which is available here: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/. In particular, the establishment fields download indicates which establishments have a sixth form and the parliamentary constituency they are in, available here: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Downloads.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure all children who require a special school place are provided with one in Derbyshire.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In 2023, the department collected data from local authorities on available capacity in special schools, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) units and resourced provision for the first time. The capacity data tells us approximately how many places local authorities think were available on 1 May 2023. In Derbyshire, there were approximately 1150 special school places.
The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places, including for pupils with SEND, sits with local authorities. The department supports local authorities to provide suitable school places for children and young people with SEND through annual high needs capital funding.
We have now announced £740 million of capital for high needs funding in the 2025/26 financial year. This can be used to deliver new places in mainstream and special schools, as well as other specialist settings. It can also be used to improve the suitability and accessibility of existing buildings.
The department understands that local authorities will want certainty about the allocation of the high needs provision capital funding for the 2025/26 financial year as soon as possible, in order to develop their approach to supporting children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision in their area. We will confirm allocations for the £740 million funding later in the spring.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many special school places exist in Derbyshire; and if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of this number.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In 2023, the department collected data from local authorities on available capacity in special schools, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) units and resourced provision for the first time. The capacity data tells us approximately how many places local authorities think were available on 1 May 2023. In Derbyshire, there were approximately 1150 special school places.
The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places, including for pupils with SEND, sits with local authorities. The department supports local authorities to provide suitable school places for children and young people with SEND through annual high needs capital funding.
We have now announced £740 million of capital for high needs funding in the 2025/26 financial year. This can be used to deliver new places in mainstream and special schools, as well as other specialist settings. It can also be used to improve the suitability and accessibility of existing buildings.
The department understands that local authorities will want certainty about the allocation of the high needs provision capital funding for the 2025/26 financial year as soon as possible, in order to develop their approach to supporting children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision in their area. We will confirm allocations for the £740 million funding later in the spring.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of when the review into the proposed North Derbyshire University Academy free school project in Bolsover will be completed.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The mainstream free schools review is ongoing and departmental officials are reviewing the latest information from Redhill Academy Trust and Derbyshire County Council. No decisions have been made yet and the department will not take decisions without considering the key evidence and data.
The department will update all trusts and local authorities on next steps shortly. We will also provide an update on the overall review in due course.