Speeches by Dyke.

“The Butleigh village shop in my constituency of Glastonbury and Somerton will shut its doors for the final time and the post office alongside it will go, leaving the constituents without two essential services. Does the hon. Member agree that we must invest in small, rural shops so that they can maintain essential serv…”

“I am requesting this debate on ambulance service delays after the Darzi report stated that “the NHS is in critical condition”. Since 2015, the NHS has missed every target. A&E times waiting times have got substantially worse in recent years, following a decade of funding settlements that failed to keep up with demand f…”

“I thank the hon. Gentleman for securing this important debate at the start of National Apprenticeships Week. Apprenticeships are particularly important in rural areas such as Glastonbury and Somerton, because they provide a valuable pathway for young people to gain practical skills and go on to secure employment in the…”

“I thank the hon. Gentleman for securing this really important debate. According to a recent study by CHoosing Active Role Models to INspire Girls, only 28% of 14-year-olds were able to identify a sporting role model. Does he agree that if the women’s Six Nations follows the men’s game and moves behind a paywall, it wou…”

“That is really interesting. You are being more proactive on 20% coverage. We know there is another 80%. Those figures then become quite stark, do they not? What trends are you identifying in the nature and scale of the problem?”

“Leading on from that, stats show that the DPHA only provides 20% of operational coverage at the Port of Dover, which may explain why we had recent problems, as you have just described. It has been said that the seizures you are making are just the tip of the iceberg. Only 0.2% of the vehicles arriving are being looked …”

“Of course.”

“I was ready to answer that: I have had some more names that have come through over email to me over the last couple of days.”

“That is why I would be happy with a Westminster Hall debate, because I would rather have the opportunity—”

“Yes, I would. My only concern is, because I think the turnout will be quite high on this, that a Chamber debate would allow more MPs to participate, given the previous debate. To me, it is very important that we have the opportunity to debate this at this particular time, given the critical situation we have in Somerse…”

“David, is there anything that you wanted to come on to from a border control perspective?”

“Thank you, Chair, for clarifying. That is where we were getting to. Helen has talked about the exploitation of those personal limits. What percentage comes through on those personal versus commercial imports? Are you checking? What estimate have you made of the volume of meat that has not been intercepted, going back t…”

“Why is that not being done now?”

“How would you implement that strategy?”

“Bearing in mind that there is a facility and a strategy that could be implemented, has the Secretary of State or any of the DEFRA ministerial team undertaken or planned to undertake a visit to Port of Dover?”

“People living with disabilities in rural areas such as Glastonbury and Somerton face many barriers to finding work, including lack of opportunities, poor transport and high childcare costs. How will the Minister support individuals living in rural areas to overcome the barriers to employment and help them to improve th…”

“My hon. Friend is making a powerful speech, and I congratulate her on bringing forward this important legislation. Like many farms in Glastonbury and Somerton, Camel Hill farm’s focus on regenerative farming has improved soil quality and nature loss. However, the farming budget has seen a real-term funding cut after in…”

“I have heard from many farming businesses across Glastonbury and Somerton over the last few months, but one farm in Hurcot near Somerton recently wrote to me to describe the anguish and stress that the changes to the APR and BPR have caused them. As in the case of many farming businesses, their succession planning has …”

“T6. More than 170 tonnes of illegal meat products have been seized at the port of Dover since 2022. Given the biosecurity threat posed by African swine fever and foot and mouth disease to more than 800 farms in my constituency, alongside thousands of others up and down the country, what steps is the right hon. Gentlema…”

“Many rural town centres in Glastonbury and Somerton, and the businesses within them, are really worried about business rates. Will the Minister consider implementing a fundamental business rates overhaul for small businesses in rural areas?”