Written questions by Dance.

How many people with young onset dementia have received a care plan review in the most recent period for which data is available in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) England.

We do not hold data for the Yeovil constituency centrally. In England, 369,635, or 72.4%, of those with a recorded diagnosis of dementia on 28 February 2026 received a care plan or care plan review in the preceding 12 months. This information is found in the Primary Care Dementia Data, published at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/primary-care-dementia-data

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the introduction of V and T Levels on Teaching Staff on Yeovil constituency.

On 10 March, the government published its response to the consultation on post-16 level 3 and below pathways, which set out the introduction of V Levels and changes to T Levels. These reforms represent generational changes to our vocational education system and will bring vocational and technical education on a par with academic education.The department is working closely with the sector on the rollout of these qualifications over the four-year reform period, and the implications for the 16 to 19 teacher workforce. To support the sector to transition, we will not remove public funding approval for unreformed qualifications in 2026/27, as previously planned, giving more time for the sector to prepare for delivery. More detail on support to deliver reformed qualifications will be set out in the implementation plan, which will be published by June 2026.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of shadow banning women’s health content on social media platforms.

It is crucial every woman and girl can access trusted health information online. The government is committed to promoting trusted sources of health information. The Online Safety Act does not prevent adults or children from accessing legal content about women’s health. The largest services will also have additional duties meaning they cannot arbitrarily remove content. Users will also have access to effective complaints procedures to appeal when content is unduly taken down. DSIT will continue to engage with Ofcom and industry to ensure the Online Safety Act is being implemented as we expect.

What steps she is taking to improve access to Portage services.

On 23 February, the government published its ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ White Paper where we announced new investment of over £200 million over three years to strengthen the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) offer in Best Start Family Hubs. This includes funding for a family-facing practitioner in every hub to support children with additional needs and their families from the earliest stages.Our reforms to the SEND system will give families a more joined up local offer, with Best Start Family Hubs, early years settings, local authorities and health partners working together to ensure children with SEND and their families get the support they need. Portage services play an important role in supporting children with additional needs and Best Start Family Hubs will join up local services and build capacity through partnership working in every community.Best Start Family Hubs guidance was published on 30 March and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/every-child-achieving-and-thriving.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the introduction of a Good Food Bill to help reduce (a) food costs and (b) increase domestic food production.

Defra is working across Government and the food system to consider the best way to drive the Good Food Cycle, and other Government priorities, over this Parliament. Transforming the food system is a long-term programme of work. The Government neesd to use all available tools in a balanced, evidence-led way that avoids unintended consequences for industry and the consumer. The Government has not yet made any decisions on the format of any future publication, or if there is a need for legislation.

What steps she is taking to support local prevention work in Yeovil constituency, including programmes focused on (a) men and boys and (b) reducing reoffending.

The Government has allocated over £1.8m to Avon and Somerset in FY 26/27 to maintain investment in their Violence Reduction Unit, support delivery of the Serious Violence Duty and continue their Young Futures Panels pilot which is identifying young people at risk of being drawn into crime and intervening earlier with positive, diversionary support. This investment will include programmes aimed specifically at men and boys.Early intervention and prevention also underpins the governments Turnaround programme which supports children on the cusp of the youth justice system across England and Wales and is being delivered through multi-year investment of over £15m a year to March 2029.At the same time we have equipped policing with the powers they need to prevent reoffending including, the appropriate use of out of court resolutions, to address the underlying causes of offending and support effective intervention.

What discussions he has had with local authorities, including Somerset Council, on strengthening sentencing to tackle fly tipping in rural areas such as Yeovil constituency.

Waste crime blights communities, harms the environment, and undermines legitimate businesses.The Government is clear, penalties for waste crime must match the harm it causes. As part of the Waste Crime Action Plan, published on 20 March, the Ministry of Justice has committed to work closely with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs to explore what more can be done to further ensure that those who commit these types of offences are appropriately punished. This would aim to reinforce the effectiveness of current systems and strengthen our overall approach to tackling illegal behaviour.Sentencing decisions in individual cases are a matter for the independent judiciary and it would therefore not be right for the Ministry of Justice to engage with individual local authorities on sentencing decisions in specific local areas. Parliament has provided the courts with a broad range of sentencing powers to deal effectively and appropriately with offenders, and the courts take into account any aggravating and mitigating factors in line with any relevant sentencing guidelines issued by the Sentencing Council.In 2014, the Council issued guidelines on environmental offences for individuals and organisations which capture offences involving the unauthorised or harmful deposit, treatment or disposal of waste as well as illegal discharges to air, land and water. The guidelines are designed to increase consistency and transparency in sentencing for these offences. In 2016, it published an assessment of the impact of the guideline on sentencing trends.The Council keeps its guidelines under regular review. In 2024, following consultation and after carefully considering representations from those concerned with prosecuting fly-tipping offences, the Council updated the guideline for individuals to provide for greater use of community orders (over fines) in recognition of the seriousness of this offending. Further information is available on the Council’s website: https://sentencingcouncil.org.uk/guidelines/crown-court/.

How much funding announced under the Government’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls will be provided directly to (a) local authorities and (b) Somerset Council to support delivery in areas such as Yeovil constituency.

The scale of violence against women and girls in our country is intolerable and this Government is treating it as the national emergency that it is. The cross-government VAWG Strategy, published on 18 December 2025, sets out the strategic direction and concrete actions to prevent violence and abuse, pursue perpetrators, and support victims, and to deliver our unprecedented commitment to halve VAWG in a decade.The Strategy is supported by at least £1 billion of government funding over the Spending Review period, alongside much wider investment across the whole of government. All commitments within the Strategy are fully funded and funding allocations will be announced by the departments leading individual policy measures in the normal wayIn December 2025, the Home Office confirmed the continuation of funding for some of the current vital frontline support services to victims of VAWG, including improving the police response to VAWG and tackling the root causes of VAWG, ahead of anticipated future funding. Future funding will be dependent on the scope and eligibility criteria of the competitions. Further information about future opportunities for funding will be communicated openly, including on ‘Find Government Grants’ - GOV.UK.

Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to increase the supply of one-bedroom social housing for young people in (a) Yeovil constituency (b) Somerset and (c) England.

My Department has held no recent discussions with local planning authorities regarding specific barriers to delivering one-bedroom social rented homes for young people. I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 101227 on 7 January 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with local authorities in England on barriers to delivering one-bedroom social homes for young people.

My Department has held no recent discussions with local planning authorities regarding specific barriers to delivering one-bedroom social rented homes for young people. I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 101227 on 7 January 2026.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of food inflation on residents in Yeovil constituency.

Food and drink prices showed an annual rate of inflation of 3.3% in the year to February 2026, in the most recently published inflation figures for the UK, released by the Office for National Statistics. This is a decrease from 3.6% in January 2026. General inflation in the UK was 3.0% in February 2026, unchanged from January 2026. The ONS does not breakdown inflation figures at constituency level.

Communities and Local Government, what proportion of the Government’s target to build 1.5 million new homes, will be one-bedroom social homes, suitable for young people.

My Department has held no recent discussions with local planning authorities regarding specific barriers to delivering one-bedroom social rented homes for young people. I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 101227 on 7 January 2026.

Media and Sport, whether she is taking steps to improve access to local leisure services in Yeovil constituency.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to leisure facilities, which are great spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and play an important role within communities. Physical activity is important in helping people live longer, healthier lives, playing a critical role in preventing chronic diseases, supporting treatment and management of long-term conditions, and boosting general health and wellbeing, helping relieve NHS pressures through an estimated £10.5 billion in savings a year. Building movement back into people’s lives is a key part of the Health Mission shift from treatment to prevention, with the 10-Year Plan setting out the government’s plan to work across sectors to get millions moving more. The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities. In June last year, we committed £400 million to transform sports facilities, including public leisure, across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated.

Communities and Local Government, what additional support he will provide to rural local authorities, including Somerset Council, to manage the cost of temporary accommodation provision.

The government is providing £3.6 billion funding for homelessness services from 2026/27 to 2028/29, including more than £2.2 billion for local authorities to prevent and address homelessness and rough sleeping through the Homelessness, Rough Sleeping and Domestic Abuse Grant, as well as £969 million for temporary accommodation within the Revenue Support Grant. You can find local authority level allocations on gov.uk here. We published our national strategy, A National Plan to End Homelessness, in December 2025. You can find our plan to tackle homelessness on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the financial pressure placed on local authorities by the rising cost of temporary accommodation provision.

The government is providing £3.6 billion funding for homelessness services from 2026/27 to 2028/29, including more than £2.2 billion for local authorities to prevent and address homelessness and rough sleeping through the Homelessness, Rough Sleeping and Domestic Abuse Grant, as well as £969 million for temporary accommodation within the Revenue Support Grant. You can find local authority level allocations on gov.uk here. We published our national strategy, A National Plan to End Homelessness, in December 2025. You can find our plan to tackle homelessness on gov.uk here.

What proportion of funding announced under the Government’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls is (a) new funding and (b) reallocated from existing budgets.

The scale of violence against women and girls in our country is intolerable and this Government is treating it as the national emergency that it is. The cross-government VAWG Strategy, published on 18 December 2025, sets out the strategic direction and concrete actions to prevent violence and abuse, pursue perpetrators, and support victims, and to deliver our unprecedented commitment to halve VAWG in a decade.The Strategy is supported by at least £1 billion of government funding over the Spending Review period, alongside much wider investment across the whole of government. All commitments within the Strategy are fully funded and funding allocations will be announced by the departments leading individual policy measures in the normal wayIn December 2025, the Home Office confirmed the continuation of funding for some of the current vital frontline support services to victims of VAWG, including improving the police response to VAWG and tackling the root causes of VAWG, ahead of anticipated future funding. Future funding will be dependent on the scope and eligibility criteria of the competitions. Further information about future opportunities for funding will be communicated openly, including on ‘Find Government Grants’ - GOV.UK.

Communities and Local Government, what additional support she will provide rural local authorities, including Somerset Council, to help families in Yeovil constituency out of temporary accommodation.

The government is providing £3.6 billion funding for homelessness services from 2026/27 to 2028/29, including more than £2.2 billion for local authorities to prevent and address homelessness and rough sleeping through the Homelessness, Rough Sleeping and Domestic Abuse Grant, as well as £969 million for temporary accommodation within the Revenue Support Grant. You can find local authority level allocations on gov.uk here. We published our national strategy, A National Plan to End Homelessness, in December 2025. You can find our plan to tackle homelessness on gov.uk here.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an estimate of the annual cost to local authorities of clearing fly tipping in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) other rural areas.

No estimate is available for the annual cost of clearing fly tipping in the Yeovil constituency or other rural areas. Total clearance costs for all fly-tipping incidents are not available. Defra only publish cost data for clearance costs for ‘tipper lorry load’ and ‘significant/multi load’ incident categories, which are reported directly by local authorities. This information is available in the local authority level dataset: Fly-tipping statistics for England - GOV.UK This cost data is available at local authority, regional and national levels, but not at constituency level.

Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of levels of access to leisure facilities in Yeovil constituency on (a) health outcomes and (b) demand for NHS services in that area.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to leisure facilities, which are great spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and play an important role within communities. Physical activity is important in helping people live longer, healthier lives, playing a critical role in preventing chronic diseases, supporting treatment and management of long-term conditions, and boosting general health and wellbeing, helping relieve NHS pressures through an estimated £10.5 billion in savings a year. Building movement back into people’s lives is a key part of the Health Mission shift from treatment to prevention, with the 10-Year Plan setting out the government’s plan to work across sectors to get millions moving more. The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities. In June last year, we committed £400 million to transform sports facilities, including public leisure, across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the impact of access to leisure facilities on health inequalities.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to leisure facilities, which are great spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and play an important role within communities. Physical activity is important in helping people live longer, healthier lives, playing a critical role in preventing chronic diseases, supporting treatment and management of long-term conditions, and boosting general health and wellbeing, helping relieve NHS pressures through an estimated £10.5 billion in savings a year. Building movement back into people’s lives is a key part of the Health Mission shift from treatment to prevention, with the 10-Year Plan setting out the government’s plan to work across sectors to get millions moving more. The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities. In June last year, we committed £400 million to transform sports facilities, including public leisure, across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated.