Written questions by Dance.

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 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 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 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 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.

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.

Media and Sport, what role rural public libraries will play in the delivery of the National Year of Reading in Yeovil constituency.

Public libraries are central to the success of the National Year of Reading’s campaign to engage people of all ages with reading. The Reading Agency has been appointed to work with sector partners to deliver and support public library engagement. The Summer Reading Challenge in 2026, and World Book Night, the annual celebration of reading for adults on 23 April 2026, will be key moments for libraries during the National Year of Reading 2026. Throughout the year, The Reading Agency will provide public libraries with resources, toolkits, and print and digital materials to support their work.Somerset libraries launched its participation in the National Year of Reading on 16 January 2026. All 32 statutory static libraries in Somerset, including five in the Yeovil constituency, will participate across the year, through existing initiatives as well as specific National Year of Reading events, activities and promotions.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help promote equality and inclusion as part of the National Year of Reading.

I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil, to the answer of 24 February 2026 to Question 112566.

What steps she is taking to councils in South West England to complete road maintenance words to help reduce potholes.

The Government recognises that historic underinvestment has made it difficult for authorities to maintain their roads in the way that they would want to. The Government has therefore confirmed a record £7.3 billion investment into local highways maintenance over the next four years. This new, four-year funding settlement is in addition to the Government's investment of £1.6 billion this financial year, a £500 million increase compared to last financial year. The Department’s confirmation of increased funding allocations for the next four-year period has given authorities the certainty to plan ahead and shift away from short-term fixes to proactive and preventative maintenance to stop potholes from forming in the first place. Between 2026/27 to 2029/30, local highway authorities in the South West are eligible for £1.5 billion of this highways maintenance funding. In addition, the West of England Combined Authority is receiving highways maintenance funding consolidated as part of its £540m million City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, and from 2026/27 will receive increased Transport for City Regions funding worth £752 million in total up to 2031/32. Finally, the Department recently announced a new rating system for local highway authorities. Under this system, all local highway authorities in England received a red, amber or green rating based on the condition of their roads, how much they spend to maintain their roads, and whether they do so using best practice. The ratings will be updated annually and provide an incentive to highway authorities to further adopt best practice. They enable the Department to identify where councils need to improve and to support them.

What steps the department is taking to ensure that the National Year of Reading is accessible for neurodiverse people in (a) Yeovil constituency (b) Somerset and (C) the United Kingdom.

The National Year of Reading is a UK wide campaign designed to tackle the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults, and to engage new audiences in reading.’Go All In’ is a fully inclusive campaign, encouraging people to read about whatever interests them, via any genre and all mediums of reading. Embracing a variety of reading formats, from print to digital to audio, can make reading more accessible, engaging and inclusive for both children and adults, including those with neurodiversity and special educational needs.The campaign is reaching communities across the UK through schools, libraries, businesses and local partners. Libraries, as free to access community hubs, play a central role in supporting participation and helping people of all ages and from all sectors of society to develop a lasting love of reading.You can find out more about events in your local area by visiting the website here: https://goallin.org.uk/whats-on/.Schools and early years settings in Somerset and across the UK can also access a range of exciting online webinars, resources and activities throughout the year. They can find more information here: https://goallin.org.uk/get-involved/schools/.

How much Vehicle Excise Duty was raised nationally from people in (a) Yeovil constituency (b) Somerset and (c) England in the last 12 months.

The total amount of vehicle excise duty (VED) collected between 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 was £8.4 billion. However, information about VED is not broken down into areas and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

What estimate she has made of the number of potholes to be fixed in (a) Yeovil constituency (b) Somerset and (c) England.

Local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area. The Act does not set out specific standards of maintenance, as it is for each individual local highway authority to assess which parts of its network need repair and what standards should be applied, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances. The Department does not hold data on the time taken by local highway authorities to repair reported potholes, but national guidance recommends that defects and potholes which require urgent attention should be made safe at the time of inspection or as soon as possible. This financial year, for the first time, local highway authorities were required to publish transparency reports setting out progress on highway maintenance, including the number of potholes they estimate they have filled in recent years. This information can be found on the websites of relevant local highways authorities. For the case of the constituency of Yeovil, Somerset Council is the responsible local highway authority.

Communities and Local Government, what proportion of funding was allocated to local authorities in the South West for road maintenance for 2025-26.

The 2026-27 Local Government Finance Settlement will make available £78 billion in Core Spending Power for local authorities in England, a 6.1% increase compared to 2025-26. The majority of funding in the Settlement is unringfenced recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities. The Department for Transport has also allocated £300 million in capital funding for highways maintenance to local authorities in the South West for the 2025/26 financial year.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help increase access to libraries in rural areas with limited transport links.

The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 requires all local authorities in England to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. Each local authority is responsible for assessing the needs of their local communities and designing a library service to meet those needs within their available resources.Library service provision, including the number and location of static libraries, should take account of factors such as the rurality of the area and the availability and cost of public transport links. The statutory library provision in Somerset is delivered from 32 static libraries, as well as a mobile library service and a home library service.The Government is committed to getting local government back on its feet. The final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2026-27 will make available £78 billion in Core Spending Power for local authorities in England in 2026-27, a 6.1% increase compared to 2025-26.

Media and Sport, what role Young Futures Hubs will play in the delivery of the National Year of Reading in Somerset.

The National Year of Reading is a Department for Education initiative, in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust.Young Futures Hubs will bring together services to improve access to opportunities and support for young people at community level, promoting positive outcomes and enabling them to thrive. Local Authorities participating in the programme will co-design the services in each hub alongside young people in the community to ensure it meets local needs.Young Futures Hubs are just one part of delivering support within a much wider youth landscape, and will work closely with core services and wider initiatives spanning youth, education, employment, social care, mental health, youth justice and policing.

What plans her Department has to promote the National Year of Reading in (a) early years settings, (b) primary schools, (c) secondary schools, (d) further education and (e) higher education in Southwest England.

The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address long term declines in reading enjoyment through engaging new audiences, reshaping public attitudes and building the systems needed to embed lasting, meaningful change, during 2026 and beyond. It includes a major physical and online marketing campaign, as well as exciting events, webinars, resources, and activities in communities, libraries, schools and early years settings throughout the year.We are raising awareness of the National Year of Reading through a range of methods, such as via departmental communication channels, the National Year of Reading mailing list and social media, communications from the National Literacy Trust and promotion via the English Hubs network.The Reading Agency are also providing public libraries with resources, toolkits and print and digital materials to activate the National Year of Reading.  You can find out more about events in your local area here: https://goallin.org.uk/whats-on/. Schools and early years settings in South West England and across the UK can also access a range of engaging online webinars, resources and activities throughout the year. They can find more information here: https://goallin.org.uk/get-involved/schools/.This government is also providing £5 million of funding for secondary schools to purchase books to encourage reading for pleasure, as well as committing over £10 million in funding to guarantee a library for every primary school by the end of this parliament.

If her Department will fund and deliver a public awareness campaign in rural Somerset to promote the updated Highway Code as part of the new Road Safety Strategy.

Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022, the department ran THINK! advertising campaigns nationally to raise awareness of the changes. Local authorities are responsible for delivering road safety education and have a statutory duty to take steps both to reduce and prevent collisions. THINK! Highway Code campaign resources are available for local authorities to download from the THINK! website and are free to use for educational purposes: https://www.think.gov.uk/campaign/highway-code-changes/. Via the THINK! campaign, we are also running year-round radio filler adverts across England and Wales encouraging compliance with the Highway Code.Guidance to improve safety for those walking, cycling and horse riding. We will also continue to promote the changes via THINK! and Department for Transport social media channels, as well as through partner organisations. In addition to the Highway Code activity, THINK! also runs paid advertising campaigns focused on the priority issues of speed, drink driving and drug driving. The primary audience for these campaigns is young men aged 17-24, who are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on the road than drivers aged 25 and over. All THINK! campaigns are run nationally, therefore rural Somerset is included. As set out in the Road Safety Strategy, more work is needed to continue embedding these changes and overall awareness of the Highway Code. We are considering options in this area, and further details will be shared in due course.