Speeches by Dyke.

“Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire are working together collaboratively on the Heart of Wessex devolution deal and hope to be on the devolution priority programme, but there is still some uncertainty over what decision Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole will make. Can the Minister confirm that the decision to include the …”

“As a farmer’s daughter, I fully remember the sickening impact of the last foot and mouth outbreaks across Somerset and Dorset, particularly on farmers’ mental health. The culling restrictions resulted in 73% of farmers experiencing depression and anxiety following the last outbreak. Now, almost one half of the farming …”

“rose—”

“Yes, it is linked. I was very pleased to hear you talking about the amount of capital funding that is going into flooding. Somerset is always on the frontline of flooding, which results in huge amounts of loss of earnings. Linking this with the management of the programme going forward, given the concerns over DEFRA’s …”

“You mentioned the Farming Resilience Fund, which has been broadly welcomed but the scheme will end in March. Why will the scheme end before the end of the agricultural transition and what will you offer in additional support after that date?”

“I hear from farmers daily and a common gripe that is that the information and guidance from DEFRA simply is not accessible enough. How are you looking to improve the advice services to farmers during this accelerated period of transition when there are so many opportunities for farmers? Also, how are you looking to be …”

“As we have discussed, all types of farms are seeing falling incomes recently, combined with a quicker than expected reduction in the direct payments. This could pose an opportunity in the farming sector but we need that purposeful action rather than just getting money out the door in the usual way. What is your sense o…”

“To reiterate, it is the accessibility that is important to that fact. There is also, going back to the Chair’s comments earlier, maybe putting in some KPIs so that we have something tangible to make sure that we can say from where we are we have that improvement to getting farmers on board to have that level of support…”

“Tamara, you mentioned the on the ground support and peer-to-peer learning and how valuable that is in the sector. I certainly can testify to that from my experience, but during this transition we need to be able to share that best practice as we move forward and improve skills in the agricultural sector. How will we do…”

“Penselwood in Glastonbury and Somerton is regularly blighted by unlicensed music events, leaving residents feeling frightened and vulnerable, as organisers pay scant regard to them or to the police. How will the Minister support the police to give the public confidence that they will crack down on these illegal raves?”

“Like many residents of rural areas on an off-grid oil heating system, my constituent Nicholas in Sparkford desperately wants to change to a heat pump, but it would cost him £19,000 to transition. The cost is preventing so many people in rural areas from decarbonising their home. I appreciate that the Government are tak…”

“The hon. Lady mentions school breakfast. Child obesity is up by a third and diabetes is up by a fifth. Does she agree that, while free breakfast clubs are a great opportunity to ensure children are fed, we must also ensure that school meals are healthy and nutritious; and that, alongside the Bill, school food standards…”

“The hon. Member is making a strong point, and I thank her for secured this really important debate. I represent a very rural area where homes have depended on oil-fired heating systems off grid. There is a growing awareness about the transition to renewable alternatives. However, for some, this shift is seen as more of…”

“I thank the hon. Member for securing this important debate. The Balsam Centre is a charity in Wincanton in my constituency that delivers some of the vital services that the hon. Member talks about, including maternal mental health support and youth counselling. The NI changes mean that it will have to find an extra £40…”

“I thank the hon. Gentleman for giving way and for securing this really important debate. Rural market towns are really important. In my constituency of Glastonbury and Somerton, Wincanton would benefit massively from regeneration. In fact, it was due to receive a considerable amount of funding—£10 million. The council …”

“I thank my hon. Friend for bringing forward this really important debate. The latest food security report from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs found that fewer households were food secure in 2023 than in 2020. No element of national resilience can be more important than food security, so does my …”

“Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent. New Environment Agency modelling shows that one in four properties in England, including an additional 39,000 homes in the south-west, could be at risk of flooding by 2050. Like many across Glastonbury and Somerton, I watch this happen in real time. Residents are on hi…”

“Service Dogs UK is a charity dedicated to supporting armed forces and emergency services veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Since opening its south-west hub in Somerton in 2020, it has matched rescue dogs with veterans across Somerset and the wider south-west, giving veterans an opportunity to manage their P…”

“I am concerned about the lengthy timescale set out in the social care review, with the second phase not due to report until 2028. The care system is broken and it particularly affects rural areas such as Glastonbury and Somerton. For example, a resident in Castle Cary, a 105-year-old D-day veteran, is facing moving car…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for giving way. As he is rightly pointing out, the employer national insurance contributions, alongside the national living wage, are increasing the pressure on our important community pharmacies. Does he agree that the Government must urgently exempt pharmacies, GPs and dentists from the tax hik…”