Speeches by Dyke.

“I thank the hon. Gentleman for making that point. Indeed, a recent survey shows that 95% of young farmers under 40 see mental health as their biggest concern. It is so significant. I agree with farmers in Glastonbury and Somerton who feel that the thresholds have been set far too low. Some of them have told me that the…”

“I agree with the hon. Gentleman. Levels of confidence among the farming community are at a worryingly low ebb. The National Audit Office reports that only one in three farmers are confident that DEFRA and its agencies can deliver their proposed changes to schemes and regulations. The family farm tax will only increase …”

“I thank my hon. Friend for a very well made point, and farming is indeed often multigenerational. This is putting huge stress on farming families. I myself am from a farming family. My mother is 81, and my father died about a year ago. The pressure that it is putting on her to think about whether she can survive anothe…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Murrison, and to speak on behalf of the Liberal Democrats on this incredibly important issue. I thank all right hon. and hon. Members for their contributions, which highlight clearly the strength of feeling from around the country. I also thank the people who signed…”

“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…”

“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 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…”

“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…”

“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,…”

“Why is that not being done now?”

“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…”

“David, is there anything that you wanted to come on to from a border control perspective?”

“Bearing in mind that there is a facility and a strategy that could be implemented, has the Secretary of State or any of the DEFRA ministerial team undertaken or planned to undertake a visit to Port of Dover?”

“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…”

“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.”

“Of course.”

“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 …”

“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?”