Written questions by Dance.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of ensuring free school meals provide (a) sustainable, (b) nutritious and (c) locally sourced food.

The action we are taking to extend free school meals to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit will ensure that over 500,000 additional children will receive a free and nutritious lunchtime meal, pulling 100,000 children out of poverty.We are consulting on proposed updates to the School Food Standards in England to ensure that all food served at school, including at breakfast and lunch, better reflects current nutritional guidance and support children’s health, wellbeing and learning. Details of this consultation are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/school-food-standards-updating-the-legislative-framework We will consider guidance for the new standards in due course.The government remains committed to our ambition that half of all food served in public settings is either locally sourced or certified to higher environmental standards and we are open to considering all lawful means of achieving this. We are working closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as they develop the Good Food Cycle vision.

What steps she is taking to help ensure the introduction of T Levels promote gender equality in access to the technical sector.

Over 85,000 students have enrolled on a T Level since their launch in 2020. in the 2024/25 academic year, T Level entrants were almost evenly split between male and female learners. This represents a more balanced intake than either of the previous two academic years, where male learners made up slightly more than half of all entrants. Entrant data for the 2025/26 academic year can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/t-level-and-t-level-foundation-year-entrant-data-2025-to-2026/t-level-and-t-level-foundation-year-entrant-data-2025-to-2026.To challenge gender stereotypes which may hold young people back from applying, the department showcases a range of student case studies in our communications, for example females studying construction and males studying health. In addition, our 1,200-member-strong T Level Ambassador Network use their influence and personal experience to inspire employers and young people to explore the opportunities offered by T Levels and technical education.

What assessment she has made of geographic inequalities in access to a range of V and T Levels.

There are 21 T Levels available across England, delivered by over 320 providers. Further subjects are being introduced from 2028, and the first rollout of V Levels will be in 2027. We have published a transition document for providers to move to the new system- supporting access to the full suite of reformed qualifications across the country. This document can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/post-16-level-3-and-below-pathways/outcome/transition-plan-to-the-reformed-16-to-19-qualifications-landscape.We recognise the challenges of T Level delivery in some areas, particularly around accessing industry placements in rural locations. We provide a contracted offer to support employers to engage with and offer placements and a ‘Connect’ service to help providers and employers to connect locally. We are also making further changes to support students in rural locations where travelling to placements can be more difficult, including greater provision for remote placements.In addition, the 1,200-member-strong T Level Ambassador Network published regional plans in February 2026, using evidence to better target engagement activity across the North, Midlands and South.

What steps he is taking to reduce rates of child poverty in working families in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

The latest statistics for 2024/25 show that over seven in ten children in poverty are in working families. ‘Our Children, Our Future: Tackling Child Poverty’, published in December 2025, sets out Government’s commitment to tackling child poverty, including in working households. Measures include the removal of the two child limit in Universal Credit, which will lift 450,000 children out of poverty. Alongside other measures set out in the Strategy, including extending Free School Meals to all children in households in receipt of Universal Credit, will reduce child poverty by 550,000 in the final year of this Parliament, the largest reduction over a Parliament since comparable records began. This comes alongside raising the National Living Wage to £12.71 an hour to boost the pay of 2.4 million workers, tripling our investment in breakfast clubs to over £30 million and investing £39 billion in social and affordable housing. Providing the right employment support can help parents progress in work. That is why the UK Government is driving forward labour market interventions that will deliver a step-change in support and help parents to enter and progress in work. Since September 2025, eligible working parents of children from 9 months old living in England have been able to access 30 hours of Government-funded childcare. Working parents on Universal Credit can receive 85% of childcare costs and 100% of any upfront costs and, we announced that childcare support through Universal Credit would be extended to help with the childcare costs for all children, rather than being capped at two.

What steps she is taking to reduce girls’ school absence rates in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

The 'Working together to improve school attendance' statutory guidance supports the attendance of all children and requires schools and wider services to take a ‘support first’ approach to understand the nature of the individual barriers facing a child’s attendance and put in place appropriate support.Schools are supported with real-time data and practical toolkits to diagnose drivers of absence, including bespoke attendance targets. Our attendance mentoring programme provides one-to-one support for persistently absent children, both in Somerset and more widely. The national regional improvement for standards and excellence attendance and behaviour hubs support over 3,500 schools with practical advice for improving attendance practice.Attendance is also supported by wider investment, including rolling out free breakfast clubs in all primary schools and expanding access to specialist mental health professionals in every school.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of establishing a working group to implement agri-food standards for food imports.

Defra regularly engages with industry on trade issues. This Government recognises concerns about methods of production which are not permitted in the UK. As set out in the UK’s Trade Strategy, the Government will not lower food standards and will uphold high animal welfare standards. The Government will always consider whether overseas produce has an unfair advantage and any impact that may have. Where necessary, this Government will be prepared to use the full range of powers at the Government’s disposal to protect the UK’s most sensitive sectors including permanent quotas, exclusions, and safeguards.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to protect the egg market in Yeovil constituency from the potential impact of rising imports of eggs from countries with lower production standards.

The UK imports a small proportion of its annual supply of eggs to meet domestic demand. The Government consistently considers the impact of imports from all countries on the UK domestic egg sector. The Government will continue to take account of UK imports as part of our continued monitoring of the egg production chain. Along with the continued monitoring of egg quality of both domestic and imported eggs against the Egg Marketing Standards by our Egg Marketing Inspectors in the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

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 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.

What steps he is taking to improve the accuracy and consistency of coding practices for young onset dementia across health systems.

To strengthen both local and national insight into dementia care, enable clearer benchmarking, and support the delivery of more timely, targeted, and person-centred support, NHS England continues to monitor the monthly dementia diagnosis rate and analyse trends at national, regional, and integrated care board level. The commitment to recover diagnosis rates to the national ambition, of 66.7%, remains in place, ensuring identification and appropriate support for people living with dementia.The national ambition to ensure that two-thirds of people estimated to have dementia receive a formal diagnosis includes ensuring provision of a validated diagnosis of dementia subtype.In addition, NHS England is actively looking to improve the clinical utility and relevance of dementia data reporting. This includes:enhancing primary care reporting through ongoing refinement of indicators and coding approaches. Notably, a new measure was introduced in April 2025 capturing the number of people with dementia who have experienced delirium in the past 12 months. This will support systems and providers to better understand variation in care provision, improve risk stratification, and strengthen care planning; andexploring improvements in the Mental Health Services Data Set to ensure activity within Memory Assessment Services is more fully reflected in available data. Work is underway with the NHS England analyst team to scope options for developing more meaningful coverage and consistency in memory service reporting.

What steps he is taking to co-ordinate the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia with the Modern Service Framework for Palliative and End of Life Care.

We will deliver the first ever Modern Service Framework (MSF) for Frailty and Dementia. This will be complemented by an MSF for Palliative Care and End of Life Care. Together these MSFs will drive rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. We are committed to publishing an interim product for the MSF for Frailty and Dementia in September this year to feed into National Health Service and local government planning cycles, and will aim to publish the full MSF by the end of this calendar year as recommended by Baroness Casey.The MSF for Palliative Care and End of Life Care, with a planned publication date of Autumn 2026, will drive improvements in the services that patients and their families receive at the end of life, including those living with dementia, and will enable integrated care boards to address challenges in access, quality, and sustainability through the delivery of high-quality, personalised care. We are committed to publishing an interim product for the Palliative Care and End of Life Care in Spring.We intend to engage with a range of partners over the coming months to enable us to build frameworks which are both ambitious and practical, to ensure we can improve system performance for people with dementia both now and in the future. The teams responsible for the MSFs are working together to ensure alignment and co-ordination.

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 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.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the impact of trends in the cost of access to leisure facilities on levels of health inequalities in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset, and (c) England.

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.

What assessment he has made of the impact of the current sentencing regime on fly-tipping on rural areas in 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/.

Whether he plans to review the sentencing regime for fly tipping offences.

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/.

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.

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.