Speeches by Dance.

“Thank you again, Mr Speaker, for granting me this urgent question. I also thank the Minister for his response. Leonardo in Yeovil, the home of British helicopters since 1915, has been the only bidder for the UK’s £1 billion new medium helicopter contract for over a year now. It is clear that the current bid will not be…”

“Play therapy services in Yeovil that support adopted children and those in kinship care are struggling due to cuts to the adoption and special guardianship support fund. Services have been reduced and therapists like Lilly have gone months without being paid. Does the hon. Member agree that that situation is unacceptab…”

“Too many rural railway stations are not accessible for disabled people. Without support staff, constituents in Yeovil have had serious accidents at railway stations. Although the Government’s accessibility priorities, which we are debating today, are welcome, does my hon. Friend agree that we need a strengthened access…”

“The topic of today’s debate is investment and renewal, but that is not what people in Yeovil are thinking about after this Budget. For my constituents, including many local business people who came to meet me yesterday, this is the “Why bother?” Budget. “Why bother?”, people in Yeovil ask after the weeks of leaks, brie…”

“Q6. I hope the Prime Minister will agree with me that the defence industry in Somerset is a key engine for growth, jobs and innovation. Leonardo in Yeovil is making fantastic progress with the Proteus uncrewed helicopter, but the future of that project, thousands of jobs at the site in Yeovil and the £320 million that …”

“Will the Prime Minister reassure my constituents that he will oppose any peace deal that rewards Russia for its aggression, whether that means carving up Ukraine’s territory or allowing Russia to join the G7? If Putin gets what he wants, this will never end.”

“Investment in level 7 apprenticeships is so important. Does my hon. Friend agree that we also need to keep up investment in vocational education facilities, and will she join me in congratulating Yeovil college, which has been awarded more than £2 million in Government funding to upgrade its engineering facility? That …”

“I agree. It is really important that the Government provide more support for ME, because it affects the lives of a lot of people.”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Mundell. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Wells and Mendip Hills (Tessa Munt) for securing this vital debate and for her campaigning on this issue. In the brief time I have today, I will share the story of Iona, who was finally diagnosed with ME in 2019 after b…”

“I agree that we need lots more support groups across the country. It is really good that the hon. Member has one in his constituency. Iona’s school offered her no help; indeed, it told her that she would fail all her GCSEs. She went to her GP and other doctors many times but was told that she was “anxious and did not k…”

“Flooding is a huge issue in south Somerset. Does my hon. Friend agree with the Somerset Rivers Authority and me that the Environment Agency’s plan to stop maintaining small rivers and streams due to Government funding cuts will only increase the risk of flooding?”

“Does the hon. Gentleman agree that if someone with dyslexia has not been identified and fails English at GCSE level, and then has to go to college and retake it, that puts them off going to university? It certainly put me off.”

“I, too, thank my co-sponsor of the debate, the hon. Member for Broxtowe (Juliet Campbell). It has been absolutely fantastic to hear so many supportive remarks about dyslexia from across the House. It is important to get across that this issue should not be political; it should be cross-party, because we want the best f…”

“On reading, does the Minister agree that teaching assistants are vital? Without teaching assistants, I would not have got through education. To this day, if someone gives me a book to read, it daunts me; I have probably only ever read one or two books to the end in my whole life, because it takes me so much time. Does …”

“I definitely agree and I thank the hon. Member for her comment. Young people with dyslexia are also three times as likely to not be in employment, education or training by the age of 16 to 17. Research suggests that about half of people in prison may have dyslexia, compared with one in 10 in the general public. I have …”

“I agree with my hon. Friend. The impact is devastating on young dyslexic people’s education and their mental health. We know that 26% of 11-year-olds leave primary school below the expected reading standard. At GCSE, only one in five pupils with dyslexia achieve a grade 5 or above in English and maths, compared with ov…”

“I totally agree, and I will come to that later. The hon. Member has probably seen my ten-minute rule Bill about getting support, and I ask him to sign it. The biggest problem is identifying dyslexia. Although three children in an average class likely have dyslexia, four in five dyslexic pupils leave school without havi…”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered support for dyslexic pupils at school. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Butler. I start by thanking the Backbench Business Committee for granting this debate and hon. Members from across the House for supporting it. I thank all the young dyslexic pupils…”

“I welcome many of the changes the Government have brought forward. The review highlighted the attainment gap for people with SEND at school. To close that gap, will the Secretary of State commit to universal screening for neurodivergence, and to more teacher training on the subject for those teaching primary school-age…”

“One reason why house building on some of our car parks is being proposed is because of the Government’s underfunding of rural areas. I agree that parking charges are a problem. We have the same issue in Somerset. They are having to be levelled out because of the unitary council, which the hon. Gentleman’s Conservative …”