Written questions by Dance.

What steps he is taking to help improve the (a) speed and (b) consistency of diagnostic assessments of (i) Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and (ii) Corticobasal Degeneration in Yeovil constituency.

Awaiting answer.

What steps he is taking to increase supply of gastro-resistant prednisolone medication for people with Polymalgia Rheumatica.

Awaiting answer.

What steps he is taking to support health services providers in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) Somerset with extreme heat.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of appointing a Maternity Commissioner.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to NHS England's Specialised Neurology Services Specification and Annex A, effective from 1 April 2026, what assessment he has made of whether people with Primary Progressive Aphasia

The adult neurology service specification, published by NHS England, sets out the standards expected of specialised neurology services commissioned across England, including multidisciplinary care, timely access to diagnostics, and coordinated pathways fo...

What steps he is taking with Ministerial colleagues to ensure military families have adequate access to NHS dentistry.

We are working to improve access to National Health Service dentistry, which will also benefit members of the Armed Forces community, including the families of those who serve and spend their careers defending and protecting us.From April 2026, we began i...

What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that people in Yeovil constituency can afford (a) healthy and (b) sustainable diets.

The Department is working with other Government departments on the Healthy Start Scheme, which helps to encourage a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children under four years old from very low-income households. In April 2026, the value ...

Whether his Department plans to take steps to engage physicians from (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) England on the assumptions underpinning the modelling of workforce numbers in the 10-Year Workfo

We have undertaken an extensive programme of engagement to support the development the 10 Year Workforce Plan. This has included meeting with trade unions, education partners, royal colleges, think tanks, charities, and system partners, including physicia...

What steps he is taking to support palliative care providers in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) the United Kingdom.

The Government is developing a Modern Service Framework (MSF) for Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care in England. The MSF is a clinically-led, evidence-based framework to support sustained improvements in outcomes for patients and carers, including by re...

When he plans to launch the public consultation on reform of the NHS dental contract.

The Government is committed to fundamental contract reform by the end of this Parliament. We will update on timelines for dental contract reform, including the details of the public consultation, in due course.We have started to bring into force a package...

What steps his Department is taking to ensure people are able to access timely diagnoses for (a) arthritis and (b) musculoskeletal conditions in Yeovil constituency.

The Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Yeovil Hospital, is commissioned to provide all National Institute for Health and Care Excellence-approved biological medicines for arthritis, which, when used in appropriate patients, produce substantial clin...

What assessment he has made of the risk of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals to people in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

The risks to human health and the environment from individual chemicals are assessed and regulated at a national level by the relevant authorities, including the Health and Safety Executive, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Food...

What assessment he has made of trends in the number of cases of Lyme disease in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) the United Kingdom.

Lyme disease is monitored in England and Wales through routine surveillance. The UK Health Security Agency’s Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory provides Lyme disease laboratory testing services for England and Wales and data is published in the quarte...

What steps he is taking to strengthen preventative care for skin cancer in (a) Yeovil constituency (b), Somerset and (c) England.

The Government is taking action to reduce preventable cancers through the National Cancer Plan for England, which sets out action to improve cancer prevention, earlier diagnosis and reduce variation in outcomes across the country, including in Somerset an...

What steps his Department is taking to improve public awareness of the symptoms of Crohn’s and Colitis in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

To support awareness of inflammatory bowel disease among the public, the National Health Service website provides comprehensive, accessible information on Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, helping to raise public awareness and understanding of these...

What recent discussions he has had with NHS England on improving diagnosis of Primary Progressive Aphasia.

As part of the merging of the Department and NHS England, colleagues from both organisations have established a joint team to develop the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia. The framework will seek to reduce unwarranted variation and narrow...

What steps he is taking to support GP surgeries in Yeovil constituency to process appointment requests.

Practices are supported to increase capacity through Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) reimbursement funding for primary care networks’ staff costs. As of April 2026, this can be claimed for any general practice (GP) doctor as well as for expan...

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of Food Standards Agency official control charges on costs faced by medium-sized abattoirs in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) Engla

We have made no specific assessment of impacts at the constituency or county level. Information on the 2026/27 charge rates for official controls (inspections) conducted in meat premises is available at the following link:https://www.food.gov.uk/business-...

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of time-bound, measurable targets to reduce the time taken for diagnosis of (a) endometriosis and (b) adenomyosis.

It is unacceptable that women can wait so long for an endometriosis and adenomyosis diagnosis and we are committed to improving waiting times for diagnosis and treatment so patients can get the care they need sooner. We are committed to returning by March...

What steps he is taking to help reduce the number of avoidable severe allergic reactions in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

Last year, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved two sublingual immunotherapy treatments for moderate to severe allergic rhinitis.National Health Service partners in Somerset encourage all patients with a diagnosis of severe allergy to have prescribed and to carry with them an adrenaline injection device which when used early enough in a severe allergy response can prevent patient harm and admission.Over the past five years, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has delivered a substantial programme of work to improve allergy safety in restaurants and food businesses, including in Yeovil. The FSA published new best practice guidance in March 2025 to improve allergen information when eating out. The FSA has also expanded its free online allergen training, which has now been taken by over one million people since 2020. Through this work, the FSA is aiming to enable people with food allergies to make informed and safe choices and trust the food that they receive.The Department for Education is developing new statutory guidance which will significantly strengthen how schools support pupils with allergy. The Government has also amended the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to place a new statutory duty on schools to develop and publish an allergy safety policy, and to give powers to my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, to make regulations relating to allergy safety, including requiring schools to stock adrenaline devices, to secure allergy awareness training, and to record and report incidents of near misses. These measures should help to prevent instances of children experiencing severe allergic reactions while at school.