Speeches by Dyke.

“Yet another wet winter across Somerset highlights the need for the Government to urgently deliver solutions to mitigate the impact of flooding on farmland and protect domestic food production. The Brue headwaters multi-benefit project, facilitated by the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group South West, is working with f…”

“Next week is Mind Your Head week, which aims to raise awareness of mental health challenges facing the farming community. The theme this year is “positivity, resilience, and love”. Women in farming occupy many roles both on and off the farm, balancing childcare, caring responsibilities and non-farming work. They often …”

“I have had many victims of domestic abuse write to me, following lengthy periods of inaction from the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and other organisations, which have left victims at risk and feeling horribly anxious. How will the Minister ensure that prosecution rates improve and victims have confidence in th…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for giving way so early in his speech. The Overt Locke is an independent family-run retailer that has been trading in Somerton for more than 100 years but has recently announced that it will close. That heartbreaking decision was accelerated by the Chancellor’s decision in the autumn Budget to fr…”

“Disappointingly, the Heart of Wessex devolution deal was not included in the priority programme, despite the region being well placed to support the Government’s growth objectives and showing national resilience in clean energy, defence, digital technologies and food security. Can the Secretary of State confirm the opt…”

“I start by drawing Members’ attention to my role as the chair of the all-party parliamentary group on rural services. The APPG is very concerned about the impact this settlement will have on rural local authorities and their ability to provide for their residents. It costs more money to provide services in rural areas,…”

“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?”