Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of changing and bathroom facilities for women at grassroots sporting venues.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We are dedicated to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, are able to participate in sport and physical activity.
Karen Carney OBE’s Review of Women’s Football included a recommendation on meaningful access to facilities. I recently met Karen to discuss implementation of her review which is relevant across women’s sport. I am clear that action is needed to drive all of the recommendations outlined in the Review. I look forward to convening the Implementation Group for Women’s Football before the end of this year to understand progress following Karen’s Review.
The Football Foundation, the charity funded by the Government, the Football Association and the Premier League, has committed to implementing recommendations from an independent review to ensure new minimum standards for women and girls at funded sites. This includes guaranteeing a share of priority slots to women’s and girls’ teams, setting up a new small grants programme, specifically targeted at creating female-friendly facilities off the pitch, and ensuring refreshed Local Football Facility Plans reflect the growth in women and girls' football.
Sport England’s ‘Accessible and Inclusive Sports Facilities’ guidance also supports grassroots sporting venues to provide well designed spaces for female users.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to take steps to strengthen bilateral cooperation with Australia on matters relating to the (a) sports and (b) cultural sectors.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK maintains a strong and modern partnership with Australia across sporting and cultural fields, fostering mutual understanding and people-to-people ties. Over the next year, significant sporting events, including the England Women's Cricket and British Lions tours to Australia, will showcase our enduring sporting links. The British Council collaborates closely with Australian institutions as exemplified by the 2022 UK-Australia Season of Culture. We remain committed to deepening these connections, including when looking ahead to Australia's hosting of the Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2032. There are several major UK contemporary visual arts and museum exhibitions touring to Australia in 2025.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
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 economic contribution of farming to (a) Derbyshire and (b) South Derbyshire constituency.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra does not produce constituency level estimates of the economic contribution of farming. Regional estimates are produced at international territorial levels (ITL) 1, 2 and 3, with ITL3 being the most granular geographical breakdown.
In 2023, total income from farming for the three Derbyshire ITL3 regions was £0.13 million for Derby, £11.84 million for East Derbyshire and £36.69 million for South and West Derbyshire. Full details are available here.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to support Afghan women (a) in Afghanistan and (b) living as refugees (i) in the UK and (ii) around the world.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains one of the most significant donors to Afghanistan. The FCDO is planning £161 million in aid this financial year (2024-25) with 50 per cent targeted towards women and girls. In the first year after the Taliban takeover, the UK provided £17 million to support Afghan people in neighbouring countries, primarily Tajikistan, Iran and Pakistan. We have repeatedly condemned Taliban restrictions on women and girls' rights, including through UN Security Council and Human Rights Council resolutions. The Home Office is responsible for the support of refugees in the UK.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential use of Artificial Intelligence in the health sector to improve patient outcomes.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
DSIT is working closely with Departments, including DHSC, to support better adoption of AI. For example, through the £21m AI Diagnostics fund, DHSC is supporting the deployment of technologies in high-demand areas such as chest X-Ray and chest CT scans to enable faster diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer in over half of acute trusts in England.
At the recent International Investment Summit, over £24 billion of investment was pledged to harness the opportunity AI offers. DSIT will continue working closely with Cabinet colleagues to ensure AI is safely deployed to deliver service enhancements, earlier diagnostics and improved patient outcomes.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) face-to-face meetings and (b) phone appointments for maternity care on patient outcomes.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are working with the National Health Service as it delivers its three-year maternity and neonatal plan to ensure that care is always delivered in a personalised way. This includes telephone care, which has a place as part of some personalised pathways that also include face-to-face care.
The NHS in England continues to monitor evidence of the impact of face-to-face and phone appointments in maternity care, to ensure all women receive safe and compassionate care which best meets their individual needs.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to help ensure benefits of technological development are felt by all demographics.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Digital inclusion is a priority for Government. It means ensuring everyone has the access, skills, support and confidence to engage in our modern digital society, whatever their circumstances. I know that digital exclusion disproportionately impacts certain demographics, including older people, those with disabilities and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds, creating new inequalities and exacerbating existing ones. As we develop our approach on tackling this issue we will be working closely with the third and private sector and local authorities to ensure interventions are targeted to individual needs.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to increase investment in women-led start up technology businesses.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This Government is committed to strengthening diversity in the tech sector, including supporting female-led start-ups, and has made breaking down barriers to opportunity one of our five national missions.
Programmes like DSIT’s £12m Digital Growth Grant and Innovate UK’s Women in Innovation Awards are supporting female-led businesses through grants and wider business support.
In September, the Chancellor announced Government support for the Invest in Women Taskforce. The Taskforce aims to establish a funding pool of more than £250 million for female-founded businesses through private capital, making it one of the world’s largest investment funding pools aimed solely at female founders.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to regulate Women's Football.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Karen Carney OBE led an independent review of domestic women’s football, which was published in July 2023. We agree with the recommendation that the women’s game should be given the opportunity to self-regulate rather than moving immediately to independent statutory regulation.
While the Independent Football Regulator will be focused on the men’s game, it will cooperate, coordinate and share information where it can with the relevant industry bodies in the women’s game to help deliver the shared goal of a successful, sustainable English game.
However, the Secretary of State will be keeping the scope of the Regulator under review, including whether additional competitions should be specified, such as women’s football competitions.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on artificial intelligence and its role in economic growth.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers great economic potential for the whole of the UK.
The UK’s AI Sector was valued at £72.3bn in 2024 - larger than any country in Europe. Forecasts suggest it could eventually be worth over £800 billion by 2035.The AI Opportunities Action Plan will outline recommendations for Government, to harness AI's potential, including boosting economic growth, productivity, and job quality through widespread AI adoption.
DSIT's Secretary of State collaborates closely with cabinet colleagues on AI-related matters.