Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2024 to Question 11912, how many local authority swimming pools have opened in each region in each year since 2015.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
245 local authority swimming pools have opened since 2015. The breakdown per region is as follows:
East Midlands: 27
Eastern: 21
London: 36
North East: 15
North West: 29
South East: 44
South West: 20
West Midlands: 28
Yorkshire and the Humber: 25
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what number and proportion of UK jobs are in the (a) aerospace and (b) defence industry in each constituency as of 2 February 2024.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
This information is not held in the format requested.
However, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) does hold a regional breakdown of direct jobs supported in UK industry by MOD expenditure. In Financial Year (FY) 2021-22 MOD expenditure supported an estimated 209,000 direct and indirect jobs in UK industry. In that same period the breakdown of direct jobs supported by MOD expenditure in each region was:
Region | FY2021-22 |
UK Total | 130,000 |
East Midlands | 6,900 |
East of England | 6,200 |
London | 8,200 |
North East | 900 |
North West | 16,600 |
Northern Ireland | 600 |
Scotland | 12,200 |
South East | 29,100 |
South West | 37,400 |
Wales | 4,500 |
West Midlands | 5,000 |
Yorkshire and The Humber | 2,500 |
The MOD regional expenditure with UK industry and commerce and supported employment report for FY2021-22 can be found here: MOD regional expenditure with UK industry and commerce and supported employment 2021/22 (revised August 2023) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking with NHS England to support Integrated Care Boards to (a) prepare for full delegation of specialised services for interstitial lung disease from April 2024 and (b) improve patient outcomes for interstitial lung disease.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to improving the detection and diagnosis of all respiratory conditions. Community diagnostic centres (CDCs) are the primary intervention being pursued to increase diagnostic capacity quickly in the National Health Service. As of January 2024, 153 CDC sites are operational, and the programme has delivered over 5 million tests since July 2021.
Furthermore, the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets out the steps the NHS and its partners need to take to deliver an NHS workforce that meets the changing needs of the population over the next 15 years. It will put the workforce on a sustainable footing for the long term. As of September 2023, there are currently over 3,400 full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the specialty of respiratory medicine in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England. This is over 690, or 25.5%, more than in 2019 and over 1,600, or 95.7%, more than in 2010. This includes almost 1,400 FTE consultants, which is over 260, or 23.2%, more than in 2019 and over 730, or 111.7%, more than in 2010.
On the delegation of specialised commissioning, NHS England approved plans in December to fully delegate the commissioning of 59 specialised services to integrated care boards (ICBs) in the East, Midlands and the North West regions of England from April 2024. NHS England has also approved plans to continue to jointly commission appropriate specialised services with ICBs in the South West, South East, London and the North East, and Yorkshire regions of England for a further year. This approach will help support a smooth transition of commissioning responsibility by April 2025. Moving to ICB-led commissioning will support a new focus on integration and population health management across whole pathways of care. This presents the opportunity to improve the quality of services, tackle health inequalities and deliver best value. Overall, the delivery of the Government’s plans on diagnostic centres, workforce, and the delegation of commissioning will help improve patient outcomes for respiratory diseases.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to (a) increase the capacity of interstitial lung disease services and (b) reduce the time between diagnosis and access to treatment for that disease.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to improving the detection and diagnosis of all respiratory conditions. Community diagnostic centres (CDCs) are the primary intervention being pursued to increase diagnostic capacity quickly in the National Health Service. As of January 2024, 153 CDC sites are operational, and the programme has delivered over 5 million tests since July 2021.
Furthermore, the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets out the steps the NHS and its partners need to take to deliver an NHS workforce that meets the changing needs of the population over the next 15 years. It will put the workforce on a sustainable footing for the long term. As of September 2023, there are currently over 3,400 full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the specialty of respiratory medicine in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England. This is over 690, or 25.5%, more than in 2019 and over 1,600, or 95.7%, more than in 2010. This includes almost 1,400 FTE consultants, which is over 260, or 23.2%, more than in 2019 and over 730, or 111.7%, more than in 2010.
On the delegation of specialised commissioning, NHS England approved plans in December to fully delegate the commissioning of 59 specialised services to integrated care boards (ICBs) in the East, Midlands and the North West regions of England from April 2024. NHS England has also approved plans to continue to jointly commission appropriate specialised services with ICBs in the South West, South East, London and the North East, and Yorkshire regions of England for a further year. This approach will help support a smooth transition of commissioning responsibility by April 2025. Moving to ICB-led commissioning will support a new focus on integration and population health management across whole pathways of care. This presents the opportunity to improve the quality of services, tackle health inequalities and deliver best value. Overall, the delivery of the Government’s plans on diagnostic centres, workforce, and the delegation of commissioning will help improve patient outcomes for respiratory diseases.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many local authority leisure centres have closed by region in each year since 2015.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is clear on the importance of ensuring public access to swimming pools, as swimming is a great way for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy. The responsibility of providing this access lies at Local Authority level, and the Government continues to encourage Local Authorities to support swimming facilities. We have also confirmed an additional £60 million support package for swimming pools in 2023/24, which is targeted at addressing cost pressures facing public swimming pool providers and helping make facilities sustainable in the long-term.
276 local authority swimming pools have closed since 2015. The breakdown per year is as follows:
2015: 40
2016: 36
2017: 31
2018: 23
2019: 31
2020: 38
2021: 26
2022: 28
2023: 23
These numbers should be considered in the context of facility provision within the local area. Facilities may close for a number of reasons: this can include the rationalisation of multiple older facilities into a modern, better located facility. In the same period from 2015-2023, 245 local authority swimming pools opened.
Data is stored by facility type (e.g. pool, health and fitness gym, or sports hall) rather than “leisure centre.” From 2015, approximately 261 local authority owned sites which had one or more pools, main halls, or health and fitness gyms, closed either fully or partially (where a facility within the site, including a pool or gym, may have closed). By region the figures are as follows:
East Midlands: 26
Eastern: 21
London: 26
North East: 29
North West:41
South East: 43
South West: 21
West Midlands: 29
Yorkshire and the Humber: 25
At the same time, new facilities were constructed at 242 comparable sites.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many local authority swimming pools have closed in each year since 2015.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is clear on the importance of ensuring public access to swimming pools, as swimming is a great way for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy. The responsibility of providing this access lies at Local Authority level, and the Government continues to encourage Local Authorities to support swimming facilities. We have also confirmed an additional £60 million support package for swimming pools in 2023/24, which is targeted at addressing cost pressures facing public swimming pool providers and helping make facilities sustainable in the long-term.
276 local authority swimming pools have closed since 2015. The breakdown per year is as follows:
2015: 40
2016: 36
2017: 31
2018: 23
2019: 31
2020: 38
2021: 26
2022: 28
2023: 23
These numbers should be considered in the context of facility provision within the local area. Facilities may close for a number of reasons: this can include the rationalisation of multiple older facilities into a modern, better located facility. In the same period from 2015-2023, 245 local authority swimming pools opened.
Data is stored by facility type (e.g. pool, health and fitness gym, or sports hall) rather than “leisure centre.” From 2015, approximately 261 local authority owned sites which had one or more pools, main halls, or health and fitness gyms, closed either fully or partially (where a facility within the site, including a pool or gym, may have closed). By region the figures are as follows:
East Midlands: 26
Eastern: 21
London: 26
North East: 29
North West:41
South East: 43
South West: 21
West Midlands: 29
Yorkshire and the Humber: 25
At the same time, new facilities were constructed at 242 comparable sites.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with Cheshire East Council on the potential merits of compensation for HS2-related costs.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
In November last year, I met with Cheshire East Council and discussed the implications of Network North for Crewe. My Department and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities continue to work closely with Cheshire East Council on how the Council can benefit from the funding that they already invested in regeneration plans for Crewe, and from various Network North funding streams. In particular, Cheshire East will receive a funding boost of more than £2.2 million for bus services in the area, and an extension of the £2 bus fare cap to the end of 2024; it will also receive a £110m uplift over 11 years for local road maintenance, and is set to receive significant additional support from a new £4.7bn ‘Local Integrated Transport Settlements’ fund to transform local transport across the North and Midlands.
Asked by: Robert Buckland (Conservative - South Swindon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2023 to Question 202692 on Autism and Learning Disability: Community Care, what the allocation was to each Integrated Care Board for Community/ CYP key workers.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
NHS England made a funding allocation for learning disability and autism services, otherwise known as community and children and young people keyworker services, totalling £121.7 million in 2023/24. The following table shows the breakdown of this funding allocation by integrated care board (ICB):
ICB | Organisation Region | Funding allocation 2023/24 (£’000) |
Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB | North West | 3,964 |
South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw ICB | North East and Yorkshire | 3,044 |
Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB | Midlands | 1,618 |
Mid and South Essex ICB | East of England | 2,427 |
Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB | East of England | 1,963 |
Birmingham and Solihull ICB | Midlands | 3,197 |
Cumbria and North East ICB | North East and Yorkshire | 6,929 |
Joined Up Care Derbyshire ICB | Midlands | 2,276 |
Suffolk and North East Essex ICB | East of England | 2,119 |
Devon ICB | South West | 2,584 |
Lincolnshire ICB | Midlands | 1,627 |
Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB | Midlands | 2,119 |
Our Healthier South East London ICB | London | 3,954 |
Kent and Medway ICB | South East | 3,862 |
Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB | East of England | 2,969 |
East London Health and Care Partnership ICB | London | 4,356 |
North London Partners In Health and Care ICB | London | 3,287 |
Norfolk and Waveney Health and Care Partnership ICB | East of England | 2,280 |
Staffordshire and Stoke On Trent ICB | Midlands | 2,394 |
Frimley Health and Care ICB | South East | 1,435 |
Sussex Health and Care Partnership ICB | South East | 3,629 |
Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin ICB | Midlands | 1,074 |
Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership ICB | North West | 6,623 |
Humber, Coast and Vale ICB | North East and Yorkshire | 3,618 |
Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire ICB | South West | 1,848 |
Northamptonshire ICB | Midlands | 1,545 |
Gloucestershire ICB | South West | 1,267 |
Hampshire and The Isle Of Wight ICB | South East | 3,744 |
North West London Health and Care Partnership ICB | London | 4,924 |
Somerset ICB | South West | 1,242 |
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Health and Care ICB | Midlands | 2,501 |
Cornwall and The Isles Of Scilly Health and Social Care Partnership ICB | South West | 1,304 |
Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB | South East | 3,425 |
The Black Country and West Birmingham ICB | Midlands | 2,691 |
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB | East of England | 1,769 |
Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB | South West | 2,067 |
Dorset ICB | South West | 1,705 |
South West London Health and Care Partnership ICB | London | 3,031 |
West Yorkshire and Harrogate (Health and Care Partnership) ICB | North East and Yorkshire | 5,232 |
Coventry and Warwickshire ICB | Midlands | 2,011 |
Surrey Heartlands Health and Care Partnership ICB | South East | 2,034 |
Cheshire and Merseyside ICB | North West | 6,003 |
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the policy paper entitled Network North, published on 4 October 2023, whether the 10 new smaller Midlands road projects have entered the Road Improvement Strategy (a) programme and (b) development stage; whether formal approvals have been granted; and whether it will progress into the next strategy phase.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
All of these schemes are being promoted for consideration for potential funding as part of the Department’s Major Road Network/ Large Local Majors (MRN/ LLM) programme. None of the schemes will form part of the Government's Road Investment Strategy.
The position with each scheme is set out in the following table:
Scheme name | Cost | Completion date | Next business case stage |
A511 Growth Corridor | £62.72m | January 2027 | Full Business Case |
A614/A6097 Corridor scheme | £34.44m | December 2026 | Full Business Case |
North Hykeham Relief Road | £193.71m | November 2028 | Full Business Case |
A509 Isham Bypass | £111.31m | December 2027 | Outline Business Case |
Chesterfield – Staveley Regeneration Route | £166.40m | November 2027 | Outline Business Case |
A43 Northampton – Kettering phase 3 | £28.58m | June 2028 | Strategic Outline Case |
Shrewsbury North Western Relief Road | Tbc – subject to Shropshire Council’s procurement exercise | October 2026 | Full Business Case |
A4123 Birchley Island | £30.13m | December 2026 | Full Business Case |
A426/A4071 Avon Mill/Hunters Lane improvements | £24.28m | August 2026 | Outline Business Case |
A454 between Wolverhampton and East Park Gateway | £53.38m | September 2027 | Outline Business Case |
The table provides the latest cost estimate and completion date provided to the Department. These may be subject to change.
A conditional offer of funding for a scheme is made by the Department upon approval of an Outline Business Case. Final confirmation of funding is made upon approval of a Final Business Case.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 32 of Network North, published on 4 October 2023, what estimate he has made of the (a) cost and (b) completion date of the 10 smaller road schemes in the Midlands.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
All of these schemes are being promoted for consideration for potential funding as part of the Department’s Major Road Network/ Large Local Majors (MRN/ LLM) programme. None of the schemes will form part of the Government's Road Investment Strategy.
The position with each scheme is set out in the following table:
Scheme name | Cost | Completion date | Next business case stage |
A511 Growth Corridor | £62.72m | January 2027 | Full Business Case |
A614/A6097 Corridor scheme | £34.44m | December 2026 | Full Business Case |
North Hykeham Relief Road | £193.71m | November 2028 | Full Business Case |
A509 Isham Bypass | £111.31m | December 2027 | Outline Business Case |
Chesterfield – Staveley Regeneration Route | £166.40m | November 2027 | Outline Business Case |
A43 Northampton – Kettering phase 3 | £28.58m | June 2028 | Strategic Outline Case |
Shrewsbury North Western Relief Road | Tbc – subject to Shropshire Council’s procurement exercise | October 2026 | Full Business Case |
A4123 Birchley Island | £30.13m | December 2026 | Full Business Case |
A426/A4071 Avon Mill/Hunters Lane improvements | £24.28m | August 2026 | Outline Business Case |
A454 between Wolverhampton and East Park Gateway | £53.38m | September 2027 | Outline Business Case |
The table provides the latest cost estimate and completion date provided to the Department. These may be subject to change.
A conditional offer of funding for a scheme is made by the Department upon approval of an Outline Business Case. Final confirmation of funding is made upon approval of a Final Business Case.