Written questions by Dance.

What steps he is taking to support Somerset Council in rural town centre regeneration in Yeovil constituency.

The government is committed to tackling the issues that matter to rural communities, including Somerset council. We have launched the Final Local Government Finance Settlement through which the government have updated the way we fund local authorities. By the end of the multi-year Settlement (2028-29), the government will have provided a 15.5% increase in Core Spending Power for local authorities in England, worth over £11.4 billion, compared to 2025-26. This month this Department have also announced that Leonardo UK within Yeovil constituency has secured a £1 billion contract sustaining thousands of skilled British Jobs and I look forward to seeing how DBT can continue to work closely with rural communities.

What steps he is taking to support NHS services in Somerset to improve coordination between community mental health teams and specialist diabetes services in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) Somerset.

Improving the integration between community mental health services and other physical health services and meeting the holistic needs of people with severe mental health problems is a priority, as set out in the Community Mental Health Framework.The National Health Service in Somerset, including Yeovil, has a personalised care programme which seeks to recognise individual needs, knowledge, and priorities. Where someone has needs that encompass mental health and diabetes services, Somerset’s personalised care programme will meet those needs by bringing together tailored input from specialist teams. This work will be developed as part of neighbourhood commissioning in the coming years, enabling services to work together to meet complex needs.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of rising medication costs on (a) pharmacies in Yeovil constituency and (b) their ability to provide prescriptions.

The Drug Tariff, a monthly publication, sets out reimbursement prices to be paid to pharmacy contractors for the medicines that they dispense. Whilst we do not look at specific areas of the United Kingdom or specific medicines, we do have arrangements in place to mitigate against rising medication costs for pharmacies, that ensure they are paid enough overall above what it costs them to purchase medicines.Where prices increase significantly and rapidly, concessionary prices can be granted by the Department to ensure that pharmacy contractors are paid fairly, and can access medicines for their patients, even when market prices increase.Concessionary prices are set using 'real time' market data provided to the Department under the Health Service Products (Provision and Disclosure of Information) Regulations 2018 on prices and stock levels intended for retail pharmacy businesses in England. This ensures that prices set are reflective of the market and aims to reimburse pharmacy contractors fairly.For branded medicine such as Actimorph the Department sets maximum list prices which are controlled through the Voluntary scheme for branded medicines Pricing, Access and Growth and the statutory scheme.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of replacing the business rates system on businesses in Yeovil constituency.

The Government has already started the work of reforming our business rates system by introducing new permanently lower multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. These new multipliers are worth nearly £1 billion per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties. The Government is also supporting small businesses to grow. At Budget, the Government announced the extension of Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR) so that businesses opening second premises can retain their SBRR for three years, tripling the current allowance. The Call for Evidence, published at Budget, built on the findings of the Transforming Business Rates: Discussion Paper and asked stakeholders for more detailed evidence on how the business rates system influences investment decisions. We are carefully considering representations we’ve received, and a Government response to the Call for Evidence will be published in due course. Any reforms taken forward will be phased over the course of the Parliament.

What steps he is taking to improve public representation in NHS Foundation Trusts.

The removal of the councils of governors from National Health Service foundation trusts (FTs) forms part of the wider aim of the 10-Year Health Plan to ensure that hospitals put patient experiences and outcomes at the heart of their decision-making. The regulatory functions supporting oversight of the governance of FTs are underpinned by the NHS provider licence which will continue.While governors elected by the public and other stakeholders have provided helpful advice and oversight for some FTs, we now need to move to a more dynamic model, drawing on patient, staff, and stakeholder insight. For example, approaches to engagement that better reflect local demographics and geography rather than a ‘one size fits all’ governor model, as well as supporting an increasing focus on the outcomes of the engagement, including the evidence that local people are involved in key decisions about how care is provided and their voices are listened to.

What steps she is taking to increase the retention of Special educational needs co-ordinator's (SENCO) in schools in Yeovil constituency.

The department knows the important role that special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) play in driving inclusive practice across settings and building a culture where every child can achieve and the thrive. However, we recognise the challenges that the SENCO role currently involves, including excessive bureaucracy and administrative burdens.Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) should be the responsibility of all staff. That is why in the ‘SEND Reform: Putting Children and Young People First’ document, we have committed to working with the sector to redefine roles and responsibilities across the system. This will drive inclusive practice and enable SENCOs to have a greater focus on strategic leadership and supporting the development of high quality practice. The government has announced a new training package, backed by £200 million of new funding, to ensure that every teacher, educator, teaching assistant and leader across early years, schools and post-16 settings can be trained to support pupils with SEND.Alongside this, the mandatory SENCO national professional qualification continues to ensure that SENCOs receive high quality, evidence-based training and equips them with the knowledge and skills to work with other leaders to create an inclusive environment.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing additional funding for leadership and management apprenticeships in Yeovil constituency.

The government is transforming the apprenticeships levy into a new growth and skills levy. This will deliver greater flexibility to employers, more opportunities for young people and support the industrial strategy across the country, including in the Yeovil constituency. Over the past decade we’ve seen apprenticeship starts by those aged 16-24 fall by 40%. This Government wants to reverse that decline and support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships. We are therefore reviewing the existing apprenticeship offer, which has grown to more than 700 standards, an outlier by international standards, to ensure it better supports young people starting their careers. From September 2026, we will withdraw funding from 16 existing apprenticeship standards. Three of these are generic leadership and management apprenticeships, which have grown significantly but are predominantly used as continuing professional development for established staff aged 25 and over. Nearly 90% of apprentices on these leadership and management standards were over 25 (compared to 50% across the programme as a whole); and 83% were long-term employees (compared to 43% across the programme as whole – which is a 10-year high). These changes will create headroom to invest in opportunities for young people and new apprenticeship units and ensure more of our finite investment is targeted on national skills priorities. Employers who value these apprenticeship standards can continue to use them on a privately funded basis.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of student debt on the financial stability of people in Yeovil constituency.

Unlike commercial loans, student loans carry significant protections for borrowers. Student loan repayments are linked to income, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied. Repayments are made at a constant rate of 9% above the earnings threshold, and if a borrower’s income drops below the repayment threshold, or they are not earning, their repayments will stop.Any outstanding loan, including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants. However, the government appreciates that making student loan repayments does have an impact on individuals. This is why there are unique protections for borrowers and the finance system is heavily subsidised by taxpayers.The department does not hold information on financial stability for Yeovil.

What steps she is taking to ensure that people in Yeovil constituency are aware of the health harms of air pollution.

Clean air is a key part of our shift from ‘sickness to prevention’ in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, which sets out action to further improve the quality of the air we breathe, including in Yeovil.Alongside the 10-Year Health Plan, the Environmental Improvement Plan published in December 2025 by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs outlines commitments to improve the communication of air quality information.Government action is being informed by the recommendations from the Air Quality Information System review report published in 2025, which specifically considered ways to increase public awareness about air pollution. We are taking steps to update the Daily Air Quality Index webpages, which are accessible to the public, to include more health specific advice and the introduction of an air quality alert system to provide advanced warning of pollution episodes.We will continue to work closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to reduce the health harms of air pollution and to help make air quality part of everyday conversations, including in Yeovil.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of including Tourette's in the independent review into mental health.

This review focuses on mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism. Tourette’s is a neurological disorder and therefore it will be at the Chair's discretion as to how far the review considers Tourette's with this in mind.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of projected funding allocations for Skills Bootcamps in Wave 7.

We are giving local areas greater control of the delivery of Skills Bootcamps in line with our commitment to devolution; supporting areas to use Skills Bootcamps to more closely meet the needs of their local employers and economies. As part of this, a new funding model for local areas from 2026-27 will ensure the distribution of funding remains fit for purpose and sustainable as the programme matures. Under devolution, local areas are the commissioners of Skills Bootcamps and can plan provision according to local skills priorities. They are responsible for decisions relating to the allocation of funding to individual providers in line with their preferred commissioning method. We will continue to work with local areas on the implementation of the new funding methodology.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to the funding allocation model of Skills Bootcamp in Wave 7 on providers' ability to maintain services.

We are giving local areas greater control of the delivery of Skills Bootcamps in line with our commitment to devolution; supporting areas to use Skills Bootcamps to more closely meet the needs of their local employers and economies. As part of this, a new funding model for local areas from 2026-27 will ensure the distribution of funding remains fit for purpose and sustainable as the programme matures. Under devolution, local areas are the commissioners of Skills Bootcamps and can plan provision according to local skills priorities. They are responsible for decisions relating to the allocation of funding to individual providers in line with their preferred commissioning method. We will continue to work with local areas on the implementation of the new funding methodology.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of basing Skills Bootcamp Wave 7 funding allocations on historic delivery data from 2024-25.

We are giving local areas greater control of the delivery of Skills Bootcamps in line with our commitment to devolution; supporting areas to use Skills Bootcamps to more closely meet the needs of their local employers and economies. As part of this, a new funding model for local areas from 2026-27 will ensure the distribution of funding remains fit for purpose and sustainable as the programme matures. Under devolution, local areas are the commissioners of Skills Bootcamps and can plan provision according to local skills priorities. They are responsible for decisions relating to the allocation of funding to individual providers in line with their preferred commissioning method. We will continue to work with local areas on the implementation of the new funding methodology.

What assessment he has made of the need to (a) increase and (b) ringfence funding for lobular breast cancer research.

The Government recognises the crucial need for research into all forms of cancer, including lobular breast cancer. It remains committed to the role of research to drive a stronger collective understanding of the biology behind lobular breast cancer and to improve outcomes for women.Government responsibility for delivering cancer research is shared between Department for Health and Social Care with research delivered by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation, which includes the Medical Research Council.In November 2025, the NIHR issued a highlight notice encouraging applications for new research into lobular breast cancer, to improve the detection, diagnosis, treatment, and long-term surveillance of patients.The NIHR continues to welcome high quality funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including lobular breast cancer.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the lack of statutory authority for (a) schools or (b) local authorities to provide NHS clinical care outside the EHCP framework.

Schools are not responsible for clinical healthcare tasks. Healthcare tasks can be delegated to staff in schools and other education settings where the responsible healthcare professional considers delegation safe and appropriate.The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) both include a regulatory standard requiring registrants to delegate only when they are satisfied that the other person is competent to carry out the delegated task safely and require the healthcare practitioner to supervise and support those who are delegated to. These are found in the NMC Code, which is available here: https://www.nmc.org.uk/standards/code/, and the HCPC Standards, available at: https://www.hcpc-uk.org/standards/standards-of-conduct-performance-and-ethics/.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of safeguarding in settings that offer extracurricular activities for children outside of schools in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

This government is committed to safeguarding children and protecting them from harm across all extracurricular activities. Local authorities have legal safeguarding duties towards children in their areas and, where concerns arise, we expect them to intervene using the wide range of powers available to them.The department also works closely with regions, including in Somerset and Yeovil, to support the delivery of these duties. To help ensure all children can receive safe and enriching education and activities, we launched a Call for Evidence seeking to better understand current practice and invite views on possible approaches to further strengthen safeguarding.​The department intends to supplement the Call for Evidence with further engagement, including focus groups with parents and smaller providers, and sector roundtables with safeguarding experts, national governing bodies and other community representatives, before issuing a full response in due course.

What steps he is taking to ensure (a) Yeovil College and (b) other Somerset providers do not face reductions in their Skills Bootcamp budgets for the 2026-2027 financial year.

We are giving local areas greater control of the delivery of Skills Bootcamps in line with our commitment to devolution; supporting areas to use Skills Bootcamps to more closely meet the needs of their local employers and economies. As part of this, we will introduce a new funding model for local areas from 2026-27 to ensure the distribution of funding remains fit for purpose and is sustainable as the programme matures. Under devolution, local areas are the commissioners of Skills Bootcamps and can plan provision according to local skills priorities. They are responsible for decisions relating to the allocation of funding to individual providers, including Yeovil College and other providers in Somerset, in line with their preferred commissioning method.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of Storm Chandra on the prevalence of pot holes in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) Somerset.

Water ingress into existing cracks and joints in road surfaces can accelerate the formation of defects such as potholes. Somerset Council is responsible for managing the impacts of wet weather on the condition of roads in Yeovil and Somerset as part of their responsibility to manage their local highway network, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances. Somerset Council received £44,966,790 in highways maintenance funding during the 2025/26 financial year. For the period of 2026/27 to 2029/30, Somerset Council is eligible for a further £225,319,000 in highways maintenance funding, as part of the Government’s record £7.3 billion settlement for highways maintenance over that period.

What estimate she has made of the average cost to drivers in rural communities in England of damage to vehicles caused by potholes.

The Department monitors industry figures on this issue such as those provided by the RAC, who recently reported that UK drivers spent an average of £320 on repairs following pothole-related damages, with some spending more than £1,000. The Government takes this issue extremely seriously. We recognise that historic under-investment has made it difficult for local authorities to maintain their roads in the way they would want to. That is why we have confirmed a record investment of £7.3 billion across England for the next four years, on top of the additional £500 million we delivered in this financial year.

What proportion of the Strategic Road Network funding is spent in the South West.

National Highways is forecasting that 9 to 10 percent of its 2025/26 budget will be spent in the South-West. This is a provisional estimate based on its Quarter 3 position. The final outturn for the year will be available in the summer following independent audit by the National Audit Office. Investment in the Strategic Road Network for 2026/27 to 2030/31 will be set out in the third Road Investment Strategy, due to be published by the end of March.