Speeches by Dyke.

“Waste crime on an industrial scale is blighting rural communities across the country and costing the UK economy £1 billion a year. It has even been described as the “new narcotics” by a former chief executive of the Environment Agency. The Environment Agency needs the resources to both investigate the criminal activity…”

“Food and farming are almost entirely missing from the national curriculum, leaving young people with limited understanding of where their food comes from, or awareness of career opportunities in agriculture and the food system. What plans does the Secretary of State have to embed agriculture, environment and food studi…”

“10. If she will hold discussions with farming representatives on the potential impact of changes to agricultural property relief and business property relief on farmers.”

“My hon. Friend speaks about security and education. A charity in my constituency, School in a Bag, based in Chilthorne Domer, has delivered 160,000 school bags filled with stationery to children all over the world, giving those who live in the most deprived circumstances the tools for an education and a lifeline out of…”

“A Liberal Democrat freedom of information request revealed that the Treasury recently had plans to review the family farm tax. Farmers across the country are fed up with bickering and infighting from a Government who just do not understand them, but there is still time to act and end months of confusion and misery. Wil…”

“The Loft bar in Street—a locally owned and run business—contributes so much to the social fabric of the town but has been crippled by business rates and rocketing utility and national insurance costs. Does my hon. Friend agree that we must support the hospitality sector, through the fundamental reform of business rates…”

“The south-west, as the Minister has already confirmed, is home to major military assets. The defence sector supports over 60,000 jobs in the region, including many in Glastonbury and Somerton. The area is uniquely positioned to drive forward the Government’s industrial strategy ambitions. What action is the Minister ta…”

“The Environment Agency said that it would no longer be technically, socially or economically feasible to protect some homes in floodplains or areas at risk of coastal erosion. I have already spoken about my concerns about some withdrawal of the maintenance of the main rivers. Given that local authorities and internal d…”

“I recognise that there is real financial and operational pressures facing the Environment Agency, but I am deeply concerned about the approach being taken regarding the withdrawal of main river maintenance funding. I appreciate that it is very difficult, but the process that is being taken around this—particularly the …”

“Just on that, will the Environment Agency work with National Highways to model the drainage impacts? Particularly, I am looking at Somerset, with the A303 and other major roads across the area, particularly given the evidence and that the outdated drainage infrastructure is contributing to local flooding incidents in S…”

“The 2020 National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy is well-intentioned, but evidence we have received suggests that there is not enough detail, funding or mechanisms to support the local delivery of adaptation measures. How will the Environment Agency address this gap in support for adaptation at loca…”

“Can you clarify how many years?”

“John, who lives in Fivehead, lost his hearing due to inadequate ear protection on the practice firing range, and he receives compensation as a result. He has never claimed benefits. However, if he needs to apply for them in future, his compensation payments will disadvantage him. That is contrary to the armed forces co…”

“Following on from Jenny’s really well-made comment there, the Committee on Climate Change has said that the Government need to set adaptation objectives for 2050 at the latest, and the NAO and the EAC have called for clear resilience standards based on robust data. How are you working with DEFRA to establish standards …”

“T4. Only 30% of people with autism are in work, compared with nearly 55% of disabled people. Charlie, who is celebrating his 31st birthday on Saturday, lives in Baltonsborough with his parents, but like many young adults with autism, he has struggled to find employment. His mother, Jenny, told me yesterday that Charlie…”

“The current support for multiple birth families is inadequate. Samantha from Wincanton is a mother of twins, and after giving birth she received the same statutory maternity pay as a parent of one child, despite having to pay double for the cost of essential childcare equipment and so on. Does the hon. Member agree tha…”

“Q13. Many in Glastonbury and Somerton are forced to travel hundreds of miles to see an NHS dentist or suffer in agony, fall into debt to pay for private treatment or turn to DIY dentistry, like Jennifer, who extracted two of her teeth over the weekend. They simply cannot wait for the consultation on the broken NHS cont…”

“Thank you, Chair. Surprisingly enough, I have gleaned one in the form of Jim Shannon as we sat down.”

“I know! I would be quite happy with a Westminster Hall debate because it is time sensitive, and it would be lovely to hold the debate during the carnival season.”

“That is really important because of the pressures that small and medium-sized abattoirs are facing. The industry is in crisis. If we do not sort the issue out we shall be losing those businesses, which are critical to the supply chain in rural areas. Just looking at this in a bit more detail, my local abattoir in Winca…”