Parts of Derbyshire are threatened by fracking because they fall within the Bowland-Hodder basin. We have a complex limestone geography, historical mine workings and natural cave systems. Fracking could undermine sub-surface stability and cause earthquakes, as it has elsewhere. Reform is promising to end the moratorium on fracking. That threatens the character of our natural landscapes and...
The new East Midlands Railway timetable will remove a second morning train between Matlock and Derby, significantly impacting commuters in the Derbyshire Dales. That will jeopardise employment and students’ education. Will my hon. Friend join me in urging EMR to find a solution that would ensure that the early morning train can continue to run between Matlock and Derby?
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship today, Ms Barker. Years of austerity have stripped out much of the vital support that young families once received through—dare I say it?—Sure Start. The number of children in care has risen by 28%, the number of children in residential care homes has more than doubled, and 4 million children are living in poverty. I have been to many schools...
I welcome support for all children, but I am trying to make the point that there is no negative judgment here. I say to those parents, “If you are doing nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear.” I have also heard the Secretary of State say that privately and publicly. Unfortunately, though, there are people—although very few in number—who, when they start to be asked difficult...
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Dowd. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Derbyshire (Jonathan Davies) on securing this important debate. UNESCO was founded from the ashes of the second world war out of a recognition that we must protect our unique cultural heritage for generations to come. The Derbyshire dales are filled with unique landscapes, heritage and...
What steps she is taking to help increase prosecution rates for rural crime.
In Derbyshire we have seen a significant increase in reports of agricultural crime; police figures show a 45% increase in the past 12 months. Earlier this year one of my constituents, Jane Bassett, had her farm broken into and a significant amount of specialised equipment was stolen. Such attacks can be traumatic for victims due to how isolated many farms are, and farms are targets for...
Cement may not grab headlines, but it quite literally holds up our country. Virtually every hospital, school, bridge and home is built using cement. Without a thriving cement industry, it will not be possible to deliver the renewal our nation needs and the 1.5 million homes the Government have committed to build. Derbyshire is the proud home of Britain’s cement and lime industry. This...
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take legislative steps to expand access rights for swimming and non-motorised craft on inland waters.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding Sport England is providing to support the development of Futsal in 2025-2026 financial year.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many hectares of privately-owned Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites have received public subsidies to restore them into good ecological condition in the last 2 years.
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing device-level protections to prevent children from sending and viewing nude or explicit images on their phones.
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the 2017 Electronic Communications Code reforms on the time taken for the roll out of 5G masts in rural communities.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) all plastic bottles sold in the UK are fully recyclable and (b) 100 per cent of such bottles are recycled by 2030.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she expects the Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers to be implemented across the UK; and what assessment he has made of its expected impact on plastic bottle recycling rates.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing match-funding for incentive payments to Stepladder PLUS.
