Samantha Niblett

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.

Innovate UK are currently running an all-women cohort of their Innovation to commercialisation of university research (ICURe) programme, which will identify and support women researchers to explore commercialisation pathways that can lead to spinouts.

Supporting female tech founders and spin-out companies from our universities are important issues that I and colleagues across government are working on.

I am pleased that over time there are more female-led spin-outs, with 32% of spin-outs in 2022 having a female founder, up from 25% in 2017. However, with 68% still having all-male founders, there is still room for improvement.

Innovate UK are currently running an all-women cohort of their Innovation to commercialisation of university research (ICURe) programme, which will identify and support women researchers to explore commercialisation pathways that can lead to spinouts.

Supporting female tech founders and spin-out companies from our universities are important issues that I and colleagues across government are working on.

I am pleased that over time there are more female-led spin-outs, with 32% of spin-outs in 2022 having a female founder, up from 25% in 2017. However, with 68% still having all-male founders, there is still room for improvement.

The Government recognises the key role that science, technology, and innovation will play in Ukraine’s recovery, reconstruction and future economy. The department fosters collaboration between researchers and innovators in both countries to our mutual benefit, working closely with other departments, such as Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Department for Business and Trade. For example, providing financial support to the UK-Ukraine Techbridge and supporting Ukrainian researchers through the Researchers at Risk Programme. We are continuing to work with partners to identify areas for future collaboration and support.

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.

Although I am aware that official reports of mobile coverage often vary substantially from people’s experience on the ground, Ofcom reports that 95% of the pre-boundary change South Derbyshire constituency area has 4G geographic coverage from all four mobile operators, and that basic (non-standalone) 5G is available from at least one mobile operator outside 93% of premises.

This Government wants all areas of the UK to benefit from reliable and good quality mobile coverage. Our ambition is for all populated areas, including rural areas, to have higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030, and to increase 4G coverage to 95% of the UK landmass by the end of 2025 through the Shared Rural Network programme. We are committed to ensuring we have the right policy and regulatory framework to support investment and competition.

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.

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.

DSIT has pledged to create a National Data Library bringing together existing research programmes to help deliver data-driven public services, including transforming the NHS.

The Department for Health supports NHS digitisation by:

1. Empowering patients through improvements to the NHS app
2. Speeding up the implementation of the NHS Federated Data Platform

DSIT investment in the Data for R&D Programme helps ensure secure access to UK health data for research and development through a network of Secure Data Environments. UKRI has invested over £1billion in AI research. DSIT will continue to ensure safe deployment of AI to deliver service enhancements.

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.

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.

Digital skills are a priority for the Government’s missions to kickstart economic growth and break down barriers to opportunity. We are working across government departments to widen access to digital skills training as part of our wider approach to digital inclusion. We are also engaging with key industry partners through the Digital Skills Council to ensure the digital skills system is joined up and comprehensive, and that it meets the needs of both employers and individuals, across the UK.

The Government is committed to the rollout of fast, reliable broadband to all parts of the UK. Through Project Gigabit, there are 36 contracts in place, set to connect over 1 million homes and businesses that would otherwise miss out, with more contracts to be awarded in the coming months.

We are also working with the UK’s four mobile network operators to deliver the Shared Rural Network, improving 4G mobile broadband connectivity for people living, working and visiting the UK’s rural areas.

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.

As outlined in the Autumn Budget, we are continuing to drive progress in improving broadband and mobile coverage across the country, including in rural areas, confirming over £500 million of funding for next year (in 2025‑26).

We are committed to Project Gigabit and its goal of achieving nationwide gigabit coverage by 2030. Through the Shared Rural Network, we will also improve 4G coverage to at least 95% of the UK by the end of 2025.

The government is continuing to consider alternative ways to improve connectivity for those not due to be covered by existing government programmes or commercial activity.

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.

Coaches play an important role in facilitating sporting activity and acting as a source of encouragement for people to remain active. UK Sport’s female Coaches Leadership Programme resulted in the number of women coaching in Olympic and Paralympic sport to double since 2020.

Sport England has also supported the voluntary sector by developing a vision for volunteering, which sets a clear and ambitious direction to increase the diversity of volunteers in sport and physical activity.

Karen Carney’s 2023 review of women’s football highlighted the lack of representation of individuals from diverse backgrounds throughout women’s football both on and off the pitch. The Football Association released its 2024-28 strategy for Women and Girls’ Football in October, which includes a commitment to increase the number of players and workforce from underrepresented communities within all roles in the game. We will continue to monitor progress here.

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.

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.

Derbyshire is a very important part of our cultural and artistic heritage, and this Government is committed to supporting these industries to thrive so they continue to bring good jobs and boost growth in all parts of the country.

DCMS publishes official statistics (DCMS Sectors Economic Estimates) including data on Gross Value Added, employment and business demographics, which are available at regional levels. DCMS Economic Estimates categorises the arts as a subsector of the cultural sector. Data can be found on the DCMS website here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dcms-sectors-economic-estimates

Data from DCMS Official Statistics for the economic contribution of the arts and cultural sector in the East Midlands is listed below:

Cultural Sector

Employment: There were 17,000 filled jobs in the Cultural Sector in the East Midlands in 2023.

GVA: The cultural sector generated £701 million of GVA in East Midlands in 2022.

Business Demographics: There were 2,925 business sites in the cultural sector based in East Midlands in 2023

Arts Sector

Employment: There were 6,000 filled jobs in the Arts subsector, in the East Midlands in 2023

GVA: The arts sub sector generated £246 million of GVA in East Midlands in 2022

Business Demographics: The Arts sector had 1,050 business sites based in the East Midlands in 2023

DCMS does not currently publish economic estimates down to a county or local authority level, so we cannot provide an assessment of the level of economic activity in the Arts and Cultural Sector in Derbyshire

Minutes from previous meetings of the Implementation Group are publicly available on gov.uk at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/womens-football-review-implementation-group

I met Karen Carney to discuss the next phase of implementation of her recommendations.

I am clear that action is needed to drive all of the recommendations outlined in the Review.

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.

Each of the recommendations outlined in the Carney Review is aligned with individual stakeholders to progress. This includes the Women’s Professional Leagues Ltd, the FA, Premier League, EFL and PFA.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. We want more children and young people to receive the support they need to thrive in their local mainstream school, reducing the need for pupils to travel a long way to access a specialist placement. This is why we are committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to children and young people with the most complex needs.

Local authorities must ensure there are sufficient school places for all pupils, including those with SEND. The Children and Families Act 2014 requires local authorities to keep the provision for children and young people with SEND under review (including its sufficiency), working with parents, young people and providers.

The department has announced an additional £740 million of capital funding in the 2025/26 financial year to support children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision. This new funding can be used to adapt classrooms to be more accessible for children with SEND and create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs, alongside continuing to provide places to support pupils in special schools with the most complex needs.

In addition, the department is providing local authorities’ an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to £11.9 billion.

A joint local area SEND inspection in Derbyshire was undertaken by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in September 2024 under the new Area SEND Inspection framework. Ofsted and the CQC found widespread and / or systemic failings leading to significant concerns about the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND which the local area partnership must address urgently. The report, published on 14 November, included six areas for priority action (APAs).

As a result of this inspection, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector requires the local area partnership to prepare and submit a priority action plan (area SEND) to address the identified APAs.

The department’s regional team has put in place systems to track outcomes against the APAs found by inspectors and the progress made by children and young people with SEND. The department has appointed a SEND Adviser to work collaboratively with an NHS England Adviser to challenge, support and work alongside Derbyshire County Council and the local area partnership.

The department collects a range of data on children being educated in contexts other than school. This includes data on children and young people with education, health and care (EHC) plans who, as part of their education, are receiving ‘Special educational provision otherwise than in schools, post-16 institutions’ under section 61 of the Children and Families Act 2014. The latest figure for those receiving such support is 8,640, as at January 2024. More information can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans.

Provision set out in an EHC plan is funded by the relevant local authority. The department does not collect funding data from local authorities in enough detail for us to be able to identify funding at an individual level for those whose EHC plan contains provision made under section 61 of the 2014 Act.

Students on Homes for Ukraine visas are eligible to undertake an apprenticeship where they are able to complete the apprenticeship within the time they have available. All apprenticeships must be at least 12 months in duration.

We want learners to be able to complete their apprenticeships within the time they have available. Where the learner’s residency permit does not extend to the entire length of the apprenticeship, they are not eligible for funding. The department will keep this under review, as it does with all of its rules.

In determining student eligibility for 16 to 19 funding, including for Ukrainians aged 16 to 19 living in the UK under the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine), institutions must satisfy themselves that there is a reasonable likelihood that the student will be able to complete their study programme before seeking funding for the student. However, when a student applies for a study programme where their current legal permission to remain in the UK expires six months or more after they start, then institutions may allow them to enrol. The department considers it sufficient for institutions to rely on confirmation from the student, and/or family, that they intend to apply for the necessary extension to their permission to remain for the duration of their study programme.

The situation is similar for adult learners who wish to undertake courses funded via the Adult Skills Fund. Where the learner’s visa will expire before the end of the course, the provider can use their discretion to fund the learner if, and only if, they have a high degree of certainty that the learner intends to, and will be eligible to, apply to extend their permission to remain for the duration of their study programme. The department would expect that individuals who are not yet eligible to apply for the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme, but intend to apply for it, would be eligible for funding under this rule.