Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to further support (a) Ukrainian refugees and (b) those who are hosting Ukrainian refugees in (i) Derbyshire and (ii) the East Midlands.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

To provide future certainty, Ukrainians who have been provided with sanctuary in the UK under the Ukraine schemes will be able to apply for 18 months further permission to remain in the UK through a bespoke Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme due to open in early 2025.

Sponsors continue to be eligible for thank you payments for the duration of their guest's Homes for Ukraine visa permission. For arrivals under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, local authorities also continue to receive a tariff of £5,900 per Ukrainian arrival in their area to support guests to rebuild their lives and fully integrate into communities.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the people of Ukraine through (a) medical and (b) educational aid.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK's non-military commitments to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion amount to £5 billion. This includes programmes with FCDO partners to provide medical aid. We have committed £5.5 million to the World Health Organisation this year to support capacity building and system strengthening of Ukraine's rehabilitation sector. The FCDO also supports the Red Cross Movement, which has rehabilitated bomb shelters in schools and hospitals to enable the continued operation of these vital services. In Moldova, the UK has been supporting UNICEF's EduTech Labs, which provide a safe space for Ukrainian refugee children to continue their online learning in a physical school environment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the research and development of femtech solutions; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of femtech solutions on women's health outcomes.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

While no explicit discussions have been held or assessments made, supporting patients’ equitable access to innovative technologies, and empowering their decision-making in care are key priorities for the Department and NHS England. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the research delivery arm of the Department, has funded and continues to fund research relevant to FemTech. For example, a recent study used new technology to analyse magnetic resonance images using artificial intelligence software to aid the diagnosis of endometriosis. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including FemTech solutions.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve access to public transport in rural communities in (a) Derbyshire and (b) the UK.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Good local bus services are an essential part of prosperous and sustainable communities. As announced in the King’s Speech, the government will introduce a Buses Bill later this parliamentary session, which will put decision-making into the hands of local leaders across England, including in rural areas. This will allow local areas to determine how best to design their bus services so that they have control over routes and schedules.

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 across the country. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities. East Midlands Combined County Authority has been allocated £40.5 million.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking with (a) regional mayoralties and (b) wider local government to help tackle violence against women and girls.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

This Government has set out an ambition to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) within a decade and will treat it as the national emergency that it is. Achieving this requires a transformative approach to the way we work together across Government, public services, the private sector, and charities.

We are already driving forward a range of activities which will support local governments to tackle VAWG. We are continuing to implement Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act to ensure that victims of domestic abuse are able to access accommodation-based support. The Victims and Prisoners Act will require local commissioners, which includes Police and Crime Commissioners and local authorities, to identify and address gaps in support for victims of domestic abuse, and we also continue to champion the work being done by many PCCs and Deputy Mayors for Crime and Policing to tackle violence against women and girls in their local areas.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to encourage more girls into STEM subjects.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department is committed to ensuring that anyone, regardless of their gender or background, can pursue an education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects.

The government continues to fund and support the STEM Ambassadors programme, a nationwide network of over 28,000 registered volunteers from over 7,000 STEM and related employers. Over the last year, STEM Ambassadors have delivered 356,000 volunteer hours, serving as relatable role models to illustrate to young people that science, research, engineering and innovation is for everyone. Notably, 56% of STEM Ambassadors are under 35, 48% are women and 20% come from ethnic minority backgrounds. The programme has been active for over 20 years.

The department is a partner signatory to the Tomorrow’s Engineers Code pledging to work with the engineering community to improve the quality, targeting, inclusivity and reach of engineering inspiration activities.

In addition, the department funds the National Centre for Computing Education to improve the teaching of computing and increase participation in computer science qualifications. This support includes programmes designed to encourage greater participation by girls and industry-led career events that raise pupils’ awareness of careers in computing. the department also funds the Stimulating Physics Network, which provides tailored support to schools to increase rates of progression to physics A level the Maths Hubs programme, which has a focus on all pupils being given equal access to the curriculum and the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme, which delivers high-quality teacher professional development for level 3 mathematics.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effectiveness of (a) artificial intelligence and (b) other digital innovation for tackling violence against women and girls.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Innovative technology solutions are key to improving online safety outcomes and delivering the government’s commitment to halving violence against women and girls in a decade. The Online Safety Act and Ofcom’s codes of practice are designed to keep pace with emerging technologies, with Ofcom continuing to research, review and, if necessary, iterate their codes of practice to adapt to technological developments.

On 20^th November the government published a draft Statement of Strategic Priorities for online safety. This sets out five priorities, including the expectation that services are safe by design to improve the safety of all users and tackle violence against women and girls, as well as the importance of innovation in online safety technologies.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the potential economic contribution of community (a) arts and (b) literary festivals.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

This Government recognises the importance of community arts and literary festivals in bringing local communities together, providing them with high-quality culture, and stimulating local growth.

Data collection plays an integral role in how the Department for Culture, Media and Sport assesses the economic contribution of its sectors to the UK economy. DCMS publishes official statistics (DCMS Sectors Economic Estimates) including data on Gross Value Added, employment and business demographics, which are available at national and regional levels.These data can be found on the DCMS website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dcms-sectors-economic-estimates

DCMS Sectors Economic Estimates does not, however, provide data specific to community arts and literary festivals.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what role her Department expects the (a) Mayoral Council and (b) Leaders Council to play in supporting regional governance.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Mayoral Council will support regional governance by building stronger partnership working between the UK Government and Mayors of Combined Authorities to deliver economic growth and effective public services.

The Leaders Council brings together ministers and local leaders, who know their communities best, to tackle shared problems and co-design policy solutions.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that animals are declared correctly as rescued at UK borders; and how many animals have been (a) accepted and (b) rejected at the border in the last five years.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Where the purpose of the movement of an animal is relating to the sale or any other form of transfer of ownership of the animal, including rescue animals, the commercial importation rules should be used.

Animals which are imported under the incorrect regime or without the correct documentation may be detained or returned to the country of dispatch.

The table below shows the number of all animals (including but not limited to dogs, cats, ferrets, bovines and equines) entering Great Britain from the EU that have been declared as rescue in the Import of Products, Animals, Food and Feed System (IPAFFS).

The Department does not hold data on the number of consignments or animals that have been rejected at the border.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the number of pensioners signed up to receive pension credit in South Derbyshire constituency.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Our nationwide communications campaign to promote Pension Credit has been running since September. The latest phase of the campaign takes a new approach targeting friends and family - asking them to tell people they know about Pension Credit, encourage them to check their eligibility, as well as help them make a claim. It is running on TV, radio, social media such as Facebook and Instagram, on YouTube and on advertising screens, including on GP and Post Office screens.

As part of our wider stakeholder outreach campaign and in order to get the message out through as many channels as possible, we have also engaged with key stakeholders and partners, including other government departments, local councils, housing associations, community groups, local libraries and service providers as well as charities and third sector organisations.

We have also directly targeted 120,000 pensioner households – including over 600 in the Derbyshire area – who are in receipt of Housing Benefit and whom we have identified as being potentially entitled to, but not currently claiming, Pension Credit. We have invited these pensioners to apply for Pension Credit before the 21 December 2024, which is the last date for making a successful backdated claim for Pension Credit in order to receive a Winter Fuel Payment.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) flood risk and (b) storm preparedness in Derbyshire.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Communities in Derbyshire are at risk of flooding from a variety of sources including main rivers, ordinary watercourses, and surface water. During last winter, over 1,600 properties were sadly flooded internally throughout Derbyshire.

The Environment Agency (EA) are responsible for main rivers and maintain a range of flood defences throughout Derbyshire. These protected over 14,000 properties across the county during last winter's storms. Following the floods, defences have been inspected and routine operational checks and maintenance activities have been carried out.

The EA continue to work with Derbyshire County Council, as the Lead Local Flood Authority, to reduce flood risk and identify future opportunities for investment in flood defences.

The EA monitors river levels, issuing flood warnings 24/7, 365 days a year when required to inform the public and businesses of flood risk. They work closely with Local Resilience Forum partners to plan for, respond to, and recover from flood incidents.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help reduce the incidence of antisocial behaviour in rural areas.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

The Government recently announced Respect Orders, which will be introduced in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill. Respect Orders can be applied for by police and local councils and are issued by the courts.

They will enable courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders. They will include a power of arrest for any suspected breach, meaning officers can take action quickly to disrupt ongoing ASB. Breach will be a criminal offence, which is heard in the criminal courts with a wide range of sentencing options, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years’ imprisonment.

We will also put thousands of new neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities, so residents know who to turn to when things go wrong.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what plans he has to support (a) pubs and (b) the wider hospitality industry in (i) rural areas and (ii) South Derbyshire constituency.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Pubs and hospitality businesses, including those in rural areas and South Derbyshire, are at the heart of our communities and are vital for economic growth. That is why the Government is creating a fairer business rate system by introducing permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses from 2026-27 and extending the current relief for 1 year at 40%.

The government is also reducing alcohol duty on qualifying draught products, representing an overall reduction in duty bills of over £85m a year.

We will also transform the apprenticeship levy into a more flexible growth and skills levy to support business, including in the hospitality industry and boost opportunity.

Through the Hospitality Sector Council, we are addressing strategic issues for the sector related to high street regeneration, skills, sustainability, and productivity.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he plans to take to help support veterans with (a) housing and (b) education and skills training in South Derbyshire constituency.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

This is a Government of service that will always stand up for those who serve our country, no matter which community they are based in. I am working across Government and with civil society to ensure veterans, including those throughout Derbyshire get access to housing, employment and other support they need.

Op FORTITUDE is a single referral pathway available across the United Kingdom that provides housing guidance and assistance to veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness and as of 24 November 2024, over 2,850 referrals have been made and nearly 816 veterans have been supported into housing.

The Prime Minister recently announced the continuation of funding for the cross-UK Reducing Veterans Homelessness Programme and Op FORTITUDE, ensuring that support will be there into 2026 for veterans at risk of homelessness. This is in addition to his commitment earlier in the year that veterans will be exempt from local connection and residency tests when applying for social housing in England.

There are a range of skills and education support available to veterans, including via the Career Transition Partnership, which supports those in search of new job and education opportunities.

Additional support is also available to veterans and their families via a Sector-Based Employment Pathway, which offers employment and career progression support, including access to qualifications and training, at any stage in their lives after leaving Service.

The Women and Equalities Committee will examine community cohesion at a local and national level in the UK.  This inquiry aims to gather diverse evidence and investigate barriers to cohesion, examples of best practice and how to ensure cohsion for the next generation.

Submit Evidence (by 31 Jan 2025)

Unequal division of childcaring responsibilities is a key driver of wider gender inequality and the gender pay gap. The Women and Equalities Committee is examining options for reform of the statutory shared parental leave scheme and statutory paternity rights with the aim of identifying the most effective ways of incentivising more equal sharing of childcare and wider domestic responsibilities between mothers and their partners.

This is a one off session examining issues around gendered Islamophobia.