Written questions by Dance.

If he will make an assessment of trends in the level of administrative errors made by social housing providers when a resident transitions from Housing Credit to Universal Credit.

The verification process to assure that the correct housing amount is included in the Universal Credit Award provides opportunities for claimants to challenge the amount, should they disagree with the amount verified as correct by their Landlord/Housing Provider. This amount also features on their monthly award statement so continues to be transparent.

What steps she is taking to help improve the efficiency of His Majesties Revenue and Customs' operations.

As published in the Spending Review 2025 Departmental Efficiency Plans, HM Revenue and Customs will be delivering significant efficiencies of £886m per year by 2028-29 in five areas: moving to digital services – HMRC will use digital services as its main form of customer communication and the primary method of interaction. These services are more convenient, more productive, and more cost-effective;improving and modernising the IT estate – HMRC will replace its legacy IT infrastructure with modern platforms and services. Moving to modern IT platforms reduces risk, enables decommissioning of costly systems, and provides more productive digital tools for staff and customers;continuous improvement and productivity – HMRC has a strong track record of continuous improvement activity. Improvements in training, guidance and retention have also enabled HMRC to deliver productivity benefits;restructuring the physical estate – HMRC will consolidate its offices into modern regional centres, exit some sites and streamline its facilities contracts; andupstream compliance – HMRC aims to prevent non-compliance from happening proactively, rather than reacting when it has occurred. This prevents costly compliance and litigation, as well as closing the tax gap.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the social housing sector in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 28 January 2026 (HCWS1283)

What steps he is taking to raise awareness amongst men in Yeovil constituency about the risks of breast cancer.

The National Health Service in England encourages everyone, including men in the Yeovil constituency, to check their breast and chest regularly for firm lumps, changes or thickened areas of tissue, and to consult their general practitioner straight away if they have any concerns.To increase knowledge of cancer symptoms, and address barriers to acting on them, the NHS runs Help Us Help You campaigns. These campaigns focus on recognising a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging body awareness, to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers, including breast cancer, at an earlier stage.NHS England and other NHS organisations, nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including breast cancer. Further information on breast cancer symptoms in men can be found on the NHS.UK website, which is available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/breast-cancer-in-men/symptoms-of-breast-cancer-in-men/

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of people walking on (a) cancer prevention and (b) cancer recovery.

Being physically active, including walking and brisk walking, can help with the prevention and management of long-term health conditions, such as some cancers. Movement is an important part of care for people going through cancer treatment, helping to support recovery and boosting mental health and wellbeing.The recently published National Cancer Plan is putting quality of life at the heart of cancer care, including physical activity to help patients through treatment successfully. Every patient will get a personalised plan that looks at their physical, mental, and practical needs, with support increasingly delivered through neighbourhood services and accessible digitally through the NHS App.Under the plan we will deliver a universal digital-first prehabilitation offer for all cancer patients through the NHS App and other digital channels. This will include signposting to other existing digital services such as exercise classes and walking apps like NHS Active 10, ensuring cancer patients can best prepare for their treatment at, or close to, home.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of reducing the starting age for routine mammograms to 40.

Each year, over 15 million people are invited for screening by National Health Service screening programmes, with over 10 million taking up the invitation. Through our NHS screening programmes, we can reduce mortality and morbidity from cancer and other conditions in the population who appear healthy and have no symptoms, by detecting conditions at an earlier, more treatable stage.We are guided by the independent scientific advice of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) on all screening matters. It is only where there is robust evidence that an offer to screen provides more good than harm that a screening programme is recommended.As screening programmes can also cause harms, each of the adult screening programmes has both an upper and lower age range, within which there is good scientific evidence that the benefits of screening outweigh the harms.The NHS Breast Screening Programme does not currently offer screening to women younger than the age of 50 for breast cancer due to the lower risk of women under this age developing breast cancer, and the fact that women below 50 tend to have denser breasts tissue. The density of breast tissue reduces the ability of getting an accurate mammogram, the accepted screening test for breast cancer.There is therefore a risk of unnecessary treatment and distress for women who do not have breast cancer, but who would be subjected to invasive and painful medical treatments and diagnostic tests.We are in line with most European countries, most of whom screen women between the ages of 50 to 69 years old.The UK NSC recognises that screening programmes are not static and that, over time, they may need to change to be more effective. Work is underway within the breast screening programme to investigate the possibility of routinely screening below the currently recommended age. The AgeX research trial has been looking at the effectiveness of offering some women one extra screen between the ages of 47 and 49 years old.It is the biggest trial of its kind ever to be undertaken and will provide robust evidence about the effectiveness of screening in these age groups, including the benefit and harms. The UK NSC will review the publication of the age extension trial when it reports.

What steps he is taking to ensure that people over the age of 71 can request a breast cancer screening in Yeovil constituency.

People in Yeovil who are over the age of 71 years old can request breast cancer screening once every three years by contacting their local National Health Service breast screening programme directly.They will be offered an appointment at either the nearest mobile screening van, which rotate around the county on a three-yearly cycle, or the static screening centre at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the phonics screener for the early identification of dyslexia in primary schools.

Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia.There are several assessments in place to measure progress and help teachers to identify where pupils may require additional support with literacy. These include the phonics screening check, the end of key stage 1 non-statutory assessments and the key stage 2 statutory assessments. The phonics screening check helps teachers to identify pupils who may need extra help and enables schools to benchmark their pupils against national performance. This is not specifically designed to test for dyslexia.The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. Reading Ambition for All is a continuous professional development programme to support the lowest attaining children in reading, with a particular focus on those with SEND. This programme is delivered by 34 English hubs, reaching more than 600 schools, this academic year.

What assessment she had made of the potential implications for her policies of the British Dyslexia Association's report entitled Lost in the system: Councils’ blind spot on dyslexia, published on 3 February 2026.

As reflected in the British Dyslexia Association’s report, the effective early identification and intervention is critical in improving the outcomes of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. In an inclusive education system, settings should be confident in accurately assessing children and young people’s learning and development and meeting any educational needs with evidence-based responses.There are a number of national assessments already in place to measure progress and help teachers identify where pupils may require additional support with literacy, such as the phonics screening check, and end of key stage 2 assessments. A range of measures have also been introduced that aim to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those with special education needs and disabilities or those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, the reading and writing frameworks, the Reading Ambition for All programme and the published list of department-validated high-quality phonics programmes for schools.To further support settings to identify need early, we are strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve early identification in mainstream settings, including through collaboration with UK Research Innovation.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of changing the national curriculum to increase awareness of cancer prevention amongst pupils in Yeovil constituency.

It is important to educate people about causes and symptoms of cancer, and we are supportive of efforts to do this at an early age.Revised relationships, sex and health education statutory guidance was published on 15 July 2025. Cancer awareness and other specific cancer-related content is included. At secondary school, as part of their studies on health protection and prevention and understanding the healthcare system, pupils will be taught the importance of taking responsibility for their own health, including regular self-examination and screening.Schools may teach about cancer awareness in other areas of the current national curriculum. The secondary science curriculum ensures pupils are taught about non-communicable diseases, such as cancer, and the impact of lifestyle factors. In design and food technology, schools should highlight the importance of nutrition. We are developing a new national curriculum with teachers, curriculum experts, pupils and parents, which schools will start teaching from September 2028.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of local authorities' guidance on how to (a) assess or (b) identify (i) dyslexia or (ii) support literacy difficulties.

As reflected in the British Dyslexia Association’s report, the effective early identification and intervention is critical in improving the outcomes of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. In an inclusive education system, settings should be confident in accurately assessing children and young people’s learning and development and meeting any educational needs with evidence-based responses.There are a number of national assessments already in place to measure progress and help teachers identify where pupils may require additional support with literacy, such as the phonics screening check, and end of key stage 2 assessments. A range of measures have also been introduced that aim to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those with special education needs and disabilities or those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, the reading and writing frameworks, the Reading Ambition for All programme and the published list of department-validated high-quality phonics programmes for schools.To further support settings to identify need early, we are strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve early identification in mainstream settings, including through collaboration with UK Research Innovation.

What steps she is taking to increase training on Personal, Social, Health and Economic education for teachers in Yeovil constituency.

The revised relationships, sex and health education statutory guidance was published on 15 July 2025.The department will invest £3 million in a teacher training fund over the next two years to ensure that the new curriculum has the greatest impact and £5 million to pilot healthy relationships training delivered by external providers.Following the Curriculum and Assessment Review, published on 5 November 2025, we will strengthen financial literacy content and sequencing in citizenship and maths. More details on the conclusions and recommendations from the Curriculum and Assessment Review are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-and-assessment-review-final-report.To ensure all pupils benefit from the refreshed national curriculum, we will ensure that core training throughout a teacher’s career has a strong focus on high-quality adaptive teaching, formative assessment and high expectations for all. This includes initial teacher training and the early career framework.The government commissioned Oak National Academy to develop resources for schools in line with new curriculum requirements.

What steps he is taking to expand screening programmes for cancer in Yeovil constituency.

The Government is committed to improving cancer screening services in line with the National Cancer Plan and as part of the 10-Year Health Plan’s shift from sickness to prevention.In Yeovil, lung cancer screening is already proving transformational in the early diagnosis of lung cancer, and we will implement the full roll out of lung cancer screening by 2030, meaning every eligible person in England will have received their first invitation for a check. The programme is expected to diagnose up to 50,000 cancers by 2035 and at least 23,000 at an earlier stage, potentially saving thousands of lives.We have extended NHS bowel cancer screening to cover people from the age of 50 and between now and 2028, we will increase the sensitivity of the faecal immunochemical test (FIT) to 80µg Hb/g, rolling this out nationally by 2028. Combined with increased uptake this will deliver 17,000 earlier diagnoses by 2035 and save almost an additional 6,000 lives.Later this year we will also start to offer self-testing for human papilloma virus (HPV) to women who have missed their cervical screening appointments by at least six months. This expansion aims to overcome barriers that stop women from taking up cervical screening which can both prevent and catch cervical cancer early.

What steps he is taking to increase the level of funding in hospice care in Yeovil constituency.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission, including the Somerset ICB, which covers the Yeovil constituency. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. The statutory guidance states that ICBs must work to ensure that there is sufficient provision of care services to meet the needs of their local populations, which can include hospice services available within the ICB catchment.We are supporting the hospice sector with an initial £100 million investment and a recent additional £25 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. The full £125 million has now been allocated to 158 eligible hospices by Hospice UK, and I can confirm that St Margaret’s Hospice in the Yeovil constituency is receiving £986,184 from this capital funding.The capital funding is helping hospices to provide the best end of life care to patients and their families in a supportive and dignified physical environment. Funding helps to support hospices and deliver much needed improvements including refurbishments, overhauling IT systems, and improving facilities for patients and visitors.Additionally, children and young people’s hospices will receive £26 million in revenue funding this year. We have also confirmed the continuation of this funding stream, approximately totalling £80 million of revenue funding over the next three years, which will provide stability for the sector over that period.More widely, the Government is developing a Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care Modern Service Framework. Contracting and commissioning arrangements will be considered as part of this work.

What assessment she has has made of trends in the level of public awareness of updated Highway Code rules.

Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022, the department ran large-scale THINK! advertising campaigns to raise awareness of the changes, with the percentage of road users reporting they knew a little or a lot about the changes going from 36% in January 2022 to over 50% in August 2022 and 70% in September 2023. By that time 86% of road users reported having heard of the changes. Via the THINK! campaign, we are also running year-round radio filler adverts encouraging compliance with the 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. However, as set out in the 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. As our road environment and technologies evolve, providing education for all road users throughout their lifetime is vital to improving road safety. As announced in the strategy to support a Lifelong Learning approach in the UK, the government will publish for the first time national guidance on the development and delivery of road safety education, training and publicity. Alongside this, the government will publish a manual to support the implementation of a Lifelong Learning approach for road safety.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce the number of drink driving incidents in Yeovil constituency.

The Government takes road safety very seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. On 7 January 2026, the Department for Transport published the Government’s Road Safety Strategy alongside an open consultation on proposed changes to penalties for motoring offences, including drink and drug driving. The consultation closes on 31 March 2026. It includes proposals to consult on lowering the drink drive limit in England and Wales, including consideration of a lower limit for novice drivers; reviewing penalties and options such as alcohol interlock devices; and considering powers to suspend the driving licence for those suspected of drink and/or drug driving pending court attendance or, where relevant, forensic analysis. Alongside this work, the Department for Transport (DfT) is working with partners, including the National Police Chiefs Council and Police and Crime Commissioners, on operational pilots to assess opportunities for enhancing the roads policing approach to drink and drug driving. These will feed into the Roads Policing Innovation Programme announced under the Road Safety Strategy, which is scheduled to begin in 2026. The enforcement of road traffic law and how resources are deployed locally, including in Yeovil, is an operational matter for the police.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to help reduce the number of non-essential scientific experimentations on live animals.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 25th November 2025 to Question UIN 91769 https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-11-17/91769

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help tackle the decline in native wild birds in (a) Yeovil constituency (b) Somerset and (c) the British Isles.

We are committed to delivering our statutory biodiversity targets which will support the recovery and conservation of native wild birds. At a local level, Defra has supported Somerset Council in preparing its Local Nature Recovery Strategy, which also covers the Yeovil constituency. Publication is expected shortly. The strategy will set out priorities for nature recovery and map specific proposals for habitat creation and improvement that will benefit many species including native wild birds. Nationally, government action to restore and create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat by 2042, alongside projects funded through Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme, will further support the conservation and recovery of a wide range of bird species. Within the farmland environment, Environmental Land Management schemes include actions that provide food, shelter, and nesting habitat for a range of bird species. In addition, to support delivery of our statutory species targets, Defra is developing a detailed Threatened Bird Recovery Plan. This plan aims to improve coordination, and drive the effective delivery, of actions to recover our most threatened bird species.

What discussions he has had on the potential merits of producing a National Maternity Strategy.

The Government is establishing a National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.The taskforce will address the recommendations that are expected this Spring from the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation through the development of a new national action plan that will drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care. The taskforce will also hold the system to account for the delivery of this plan, as well as improving outcomes and experiences for women and babies.

Whether he will appoint a Maternity Commissioner.

There are no current plans to appoint a Maternity Commissioner. The Government has commissioned an independent National Investigation into maternity and neonatal care, chaired by Baroness Amos, which is expected to make recommendations this spring. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will chair the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce to address the recommendations and develop a new national action plan to drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care.