Adam Dance Portrait

Adam Dance

Liberal Democrat - Yeovil

12,268 (25.1%) majority - 2024 General Election

First elected: 4th July 2024


1 APPG membership (as of 7 May 2025)
Family Hubs
Adam Dance has no previous appointments


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Adam Dance has voted in 129 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All Adam Dance Division Votes

Debates during the 2024 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrat)
(4 debate interactions)
Keir Starmer (Labour)
Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury
(3 debate interactions)
Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat)
(2 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Department of Health and Social Care
(6 debate contributions)
Cabinet Office
(3 debate contributions)
HM Treasury
(3 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Adam Dance's debates

Yeovil Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petition Debates Contributed

We think that changing inheritance tax relief for agricultural land will devastate farms nationwide, forcing families to sell land and assets just to stay on their property. We urge the government to keep the current exemptions for working farms.


Latest EDMs signed by Adam Dance

21st May 2025
Adam Dance signed this EDM as a sponsor on Thursday 22nd May 2025

Progress in UK-EU relations

Tabled by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
That this House welcomes the steps taken at the recent reset Summit to improve UK-EU relations and move beyond the instability and confusion of recent years; recognises the potential for cooperation in areas such as science, defence and food trade to bring tangible benefits to people and businesses across the …
25 signatures
(Most recent: 23 May 2025)
Signatures by party:
Liberal Democrat: 24
Green Party: 1
21st May 2025
Adam Dance signed this EDM as a sponsor on Thursday 22nd May 2025

British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (No. 2)

Tabled by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
That this House condemns the ongoing injustice faced by members of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (BCSSS) and urges the Government to act immediately to ensure that all former mineworkers are treated with fairness and dignity; notes that, while the Government has recently released funds from the Miners’ Pension …
15 signatures
(Most recent: 22 May 2025)
Signatures by party:
Liberal Democrat: 8
Plaid Cymru: 4
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Labour: 1
Green Party: 1
View All Adam Dance's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Adam Dance, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Adam Dance has not been granted any Urgent Questions

Adam Dance has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

Adam Dance has not introduced any legislation before Parliament

Adam Dance has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
7th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the (a) funding, (b) resources and (c) powers available to the Groceries Code Adjudicator.

The Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) determines the level of funding and resources he needs to discharge his functions. Subject to Ministerial consent, the GCA imposes an annual levy on the 14 large retailers regulated by the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (the Code) to fund his work.

The government is currently undertaking the fourth statutory review on the effectiveness of the GCA in enforcing the Code. If stakeholders believe there are additional powers that would increase the GCA’s effectiveness, they will be able to share their views through the public consultation that the government will issue shortly to support the statutory review process.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
12th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that people working in the gig economy receive (a) at least the minimum wage, (b) sick leave and (c) holiday entitlement.

All employers must comply with their legal obligations towards those they engage.

The Government is committed to creating of the Fair Work Agency. It will bring existing functions like minimum wage enforcement into one place and it will also enforce rights such as holiday pay and Statutory Sick Pay.

We have committed to consult on moving towards a simpler two-part framework that differentiates between workers and the genuinely self-employed.

If workers believe they are not being afforded the rights they are entitled to, they can contact the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) for free and impartial advice on employment matters.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
7th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to provide (a) support and (b) funding for cricket nets in rural communities.

The Government recognises that sports facilities are important to communities up and down the country, including rural communities. High-quality, inclusive facilities help people get active.

Grassroots sport, including cricket, is funded through the Government’s Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, who invest over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year. This includes long-term investment to the England and Wales Cricket Board, the National Governing Body for cricket, which receives up to £11.6 million for five years to invest in community cricket initiatives that will benefit everyone, including those in rural areas.

Future funding of sports facilities will be considered as part of the upcoming Spending Review.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
7th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she plans to take to support the provision of sports (a) clubs and (b) facilities in (i) rural communities and (ii) Yeovil Constituency.

The Government recognises that sports clubs and facilities are important to communities up and down the country, including rural communities. High-quality, inclusive facilities help people get active. Everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, should have access to them and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity.

The ongoing responsibility for public leisure facilities lies at Local Authority level. Local Authorities work in partnership with operators who manage leisure services. The Government and Sport England continue to work closely with Local Authorities to monitor pressures in the sector.

The Government has committed to continued funding for grassroots facilities. £100 million will be invested into grassroots sport facilities across the UK through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme. Grassroots sport is also funded through the Government’s Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, who invest over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year.

Future funding of sports facilities will be considered as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
5th Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of adding the Six Nations rugby union championship to the category A list of events not permitted to be broadcast solely on paid television services.

The current listed events regime is designed to ensure that sporting events of national significance are available to as wide an audience as possible, by prohibiting exclusive broadcasting of the event without prior consent from Ofcom. Listing does not guarantee that an event will be broadcast live, or on a free to air channel. Rights holders are not required to sell live rights for listed events and free-to-air broadcasters are not obliged to purchase them.

The Government believes that the current list of events works well and that it strikes an appropriate balance between access to sporting events and allowing sports to maximise broadcasting revenue. Therefore, the Government has no plans to review the list at this time.

It is right that the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Six Nations Rugby take a considered and balanced approach: recognising the need to achieve reach with existing and new fans, the importance that the Six Nations has for the cultural pride of each of the Home Nations, all the while maximising broadcast revenue.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
7th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessments she had made of the potential merits of screening for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in primary schools in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The SEND code of practice is clear that meeting the needs of a child with special educational needs does not require a diagnostic label or test. Instead, the department expects schools to monitor the progress of pupils and put support in place where needed.

In 2024, the department brought together a group of leading neurodiversity experts to make recommendations to its Ministers on the best ways to support and meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people in mainstream education settings. The group includes the chair of the independent ADHD Taskforce, convened by NHS England, to ensure join up and support across the health and education systems.

The Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme is a national programme, backed by £13 million of investment.

PINS deploys specialists from health and education workforces to build teacher and staff capacity to identify and better meet the needs of neurodivergent children, in mainstream primary schools. In the 2024/25 financial year, PINS has been delivered to over 1650, around 10%, of all mainstream primary schools, including 38 schools within the Somerset local authority.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
6th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the level of bullying towards neurodiverse students in schools in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset, and (c) England.

The department is clear that schools must take a strong stand against all forms of bullying and should tackle bullying at the earliest opportunity to prevent it from escalating. All schools must have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying, including the bullying of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The department does not collect data on specific incidents of bullying in schools. We expect schools to develop their own approaches for monitoring bullying and exercise their own judgement as to what will work best for their pupils.

We monitor young people’s perceptions of bullying at a high level, through surveys, which indicate that a higher level of children and young people with SEND, including neurodivergence, report that they have been bullied, than children without SEND. The latest survey can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6628dd9bdb4b9f0448a7e584/National_behaviour_survey_academic_year_2022_to_2023.pdf.

​The department has published advice to support schools with addressing incidents of bullying, which can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/625ee64cd3bf7f6004339db8/Preventing_and_tackling_bullying_advice.pdf, as well as a practical tool to help schools, which can be found on the Educate Against Hate website here: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/.

Stephen Morgan
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
6th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to protect neurodiverse pupils from bullying at school in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

The department is clear that schools must take a strong stand against all forms of bullying and should tackle bullying at the earliest opportunity to prevent it from escalating. All schools must have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying, including the bullying of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The department does not collect data on specific incidents of bullying in schools. We expect schools to develop their own approaches for monitoring bullying and exercise their own judgement as to what will work best for their pupils.

We monitor young people’s perceptions of bullying at a high level, through surveys, which indicate that a higher level of children and young people with SEND, including neurodivergence, report that they have been bullied, than children without SEND. The latest survey can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6628dd9bdb4b9f0448a7e584/National_behaviour_survey_academic_year_2022_to_2023.pdf.

​The department has published advice to support schools with addressing incidents of bullying, which can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/625ee64cd3bf7f6004339db8/Preventing_and_tackling_bullying_advice.pdf, as well as a practical tool to help schools, which can be found on the Educate Against Hate website here: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/.

Stephen Morgan
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
26th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reducing funding for level 7 apprenticeships on the number of chartered town planners in local government.

I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil to the answer of 20 January 2025 to Question 23140.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
26th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reducing funding for level 7 healthcare apprenticeships on skills shortages in the NHS; and what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on that funding.

I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil to the answer of 28 March 2025 to Question 39819.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
26th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reducing funding for level 7 healthcare apprenticeships on the NHS long-term workforce plan.

I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil to the answer of 28 March 2025 to Question 39819.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
20th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to improve the (a) mental health and (b) wellbeing of teachers in Somerset.

I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil to the answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 29516.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
20th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to improve teacher (a) recruitment and (b) retention in Somerset.

High quality teaching is the most important in-school factor to a child’s educational outcomes. Recruiting and retaining more qualified, expert teachers is therefore critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost the life chances for every child. This is why the department will recruit 6,500 new expert teachers, get more teachers into shortage subjects, support areas that face recruitment challenges and tackle retention issues. To deliver this pledge we are resetting the relationship with the sector to ensure teaching is once again a valued and attractive profession.

We agreed a 5.5% pay award for teachers this year, 2024/25, and we have increased the funding available for bursaries for trainee teaches to £233 million from 2025/26, to support teacher trainees with tax-free bursaries of up to £29,000 and scholarships of up to £31,000 in some shortage subjects. The department has also expanded its school teacher recruitment campaign, ‘Every Lesson Shapes a Life’, and the further education teacher recruitment campaign ‘Share your Skills’.

A successful recruitment strategy starts with a strong retention strategy, and in addition to recruiting high quality teachers, we want to ensure teachers stay and thrive in this profession. New teachers of mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing in the first five years of their careers will now receive a targeted retention incentive of up to £6,000, after-tax, if working in disadvantaged schools. There are six schools in the Yeovil constituency where teachers are eligible for targeted retention incentives.

The department has also taken steps to improve teachers’ workload and wellbeing, to support retention and help re-establish teaching as an attractive profession. This includes opportunities for greater flexible working, such as allowing planning, preparation and assessment time to be undertaken remotely, and making key resources to support wellbeing, developed with school leaders, available to teachers​.

The department is also funding bespoke support provided by flexible working ambassador schools and multi-academy trusts, ensuring schools are capturing the benefits of flexible working, whilst protecting pupils’ face-to-face teacher time.

Malmesbury School of the Athelstan Trust is the flexible working ambassador school providing local, tailored peer support for Yeovil schools.

High quality continuing professional development is also key to ensuring the retention of an effective teaching workforce. Through the revised Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework, new teachers will benefit from at least three years of evidence-based training, across initial teacher training and into their induction. The department has also launched an updated suite of national professional qualifications (NPQs) for teachers and school leaders at all levels, from those who want to develop expertise in high quality teaching practice to those leading multiple schools across trusts. Teaching School Hubs play a significant role in delivering the initial teacher training, the early career framework and NPQs. The Five Counties Teaching School Hubs Alliance is a partnership of Teaching School Hubs supporting teacher training and development across Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Bath and Bristol.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to improve specialist teacher training on supporting dyslexic students in secondary schools.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions. The government is focusing on improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, and is working with families and education and care experts to deliver this in the best interests of all children and to improve parents’ trust.

High-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving outcomes for all children, particularly those with SEND or from disadvantaged backgrounds, and the department is committed to ensuring that all pupils receive excellent support from their teachers. The Teachers’ Standards set clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND such as dyslexia. All initial teacher training (ITT) providers must ensure that their courses enable trainee teachers to meet the Teachers’ Standards to be recommended for the award of qualified teacher status.

The ITT Core Content Framework and Early Career Framework (ECF), for trainee and early career teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching. From September 2025, they will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of ITT and those delivering provider-led early career training to create their curricula. From September 2025 all ECTs will be entitled to a two-year induction that is underpinned by the ITTECF, known as the Early Career Teacher Entitlement (ECTE).

The department’s review of content for the ITTECF paid particular attention to the needs of trainees and ECTs when supporting pupils with SEND. There is now significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND, some of which has been adapted from the new national professional qualification for special educational needs co-ordinators to be relevant for trainees and ECTs. We have edited existing statements to improve inclusivity for SEND throughout the framework, including, for example, developing an understanding of different pupil needs, and learning how to provide opportunities for success for all pupils, including those with dyslexia. From September 2025, the department has also enhanced the requirement on providers of ECT training to develop SEND training materials. The department tested this approach with SEND educational experts with consensus that the approach of ‘quality-first teaching’ would be the best way to improve outcomes for all children.

The department recognises that continuous improvement is essential and has recently committed to a full review of the ECTE in 2027 to ensure it continues to provide the best possible support for ECTs. This review will focus on the support we provide new teachers in teaching pupils with SEND.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to improve specialist teacher training on supporting dyslexic students in primary schools.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions. The government is focusing on improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, and is working with families and education and care experts to deliver this in the best interests of all children and to improve parents’ trust.

High-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving outcomes for all children, particularly those with SEND or from disadvantaged backgrounds, and the department is committed to ensuring that all pupils receive excellent support from their teachers. The Teachers’ Standards set clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND such as dyslexia. All initial teacher training (ITT) providers must ensure that their courses enable trainee teachers to meet the Teachers’ Standards to be recommended for the award of qualified teacher status.

The ITT Core Content Framework and Early Career Framework (ECF), for trainee and early career teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching. From September 2025, they will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of ITT and those delivering provider-led early career training to create their curricula. From September 2025 all ECTs will be entitled to a two-year induction that is underpinned by the ITTECF, known as the Early Career Teacher Entitlement (ECTE).

The department’s review of content for the ITTECF paid particular attention to the needs of trainees and ECTs when supporting pupils with SEND. There is now significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND, some of which has been adapted from the new national professional qualification for special educational needs co-ordinators to be relevant for trainees and ECTs. We have edited existing statements to improve inclusivity for SEND throughout the framework, including, for example, developing an understanding of different pupil needs, and learning how to provide opportunities for success for all pupils, including those with dyslexia. From September 2025, the department has also enhanced the requirement on providers of ECT training to develop SEND training materials. The department tested this approach with SEND educational experts with consensus that the approach of ‘quality-first teaching’ would be the best way to improve outcomes for all children.

The department recognises that continuous improvement is essential and has recently committed to a full review of the ECTE in 2027 to ensure it continues to provide the best possible support for ECTs. This review will focus on the support we provide new teachers in teaching pupils with SEND.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 2 September 2024 to Question 2285 on Pupils: Dyslexia, what discussions she has had with (a) families and (b) education care experts on delivering the best educational outcomes for children with (i) dyslexia and (ii) other neurodivergent conditions in (A) Somerset and (B) the South West.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.

The department is working closely with experts on reforms, including Dame Christine Lenehan as a Strategic Advisor for SEND, who is playing a key role in convening and engaging with the sector, including leaders, practitioners, children and families, as we consider the next steps for the future of SEND reform.

We know that consistent, meaningful co-production is vital to improving the experiences of all children, young people and their families, and local authorities must ensure that children, young people and parents are provided with the information, advice and support necessary to enable them to participate in discussions and decisions about their support. We will continue to offer training and support, via our contracted delivery partners, to SEND Information, Advice and Support Services (SENDIASS).

The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. As part of the continuous professional development provided by the English Hubs, the Reading Ambition for All programme has been launched to improve outcomes for children who need additional support with reading, including those with SEND.

In the South West, there are six English Hubs: Cornerstone, Ilsham, Kernow, Mangotsfield, Ramsbury and Unlocking Excellence. This academic year, they are supporting a total of 130 schools with the Reading Ambition for All programme.

The Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme brings together integrated care boards, local authorities and schools, working in partnership with parents and carers to support schools to better meet the needs of neurodivergent children. PINS was co-produced with parent carers with input from education and health professionals.

Since the programme launched in November 2023, PINS has deployed health and education specialists to strengthen training for teachers and staff in around 1,650 mainstream primary schools (10%).

PINS is successfully operating in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, with specialist neurodiversity training and parent carer engagement currently being delivered in participating schools. The PINS programme is being evaluated and the learning will inform future policy development around how schools support neurodivergent children.

Additionally, the department has brought together a group of leading neurodiversity experts to work closely with us to help improve inclusivity and expertise in mainstream settings in a way that works for neurodivergent children and young people.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to support technical colleges to provide specialist support for dyslexic students in (a) Somerset and (b) the South West.

We are the department for opportunity. As part of this we are committed to help every learner to achieve and thrive, through excellent teaching and high standards. This includes a focus on children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The SEND Code of Practice is clear that all children and young people with SEND should be prepared for adulthood.

Preparation for adulthood means higher education and/or employment, independent living, participation in society and being as healthy as possible in adult life.

All local authorities must set out the support available to help children and young people with SEND move into adulthood as part of their local offer.

All education and training providers, including Technical Colleges, and other related service providers, have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, so they are not disadvantaged compared to non-disabled students. This includes people with a learning difficulty. This duty is set out under section 20 of the Equality Act 2010, which is available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/section/20.

There is a range of support on offer for dyslexic students. Students should discuss their needs with the college or education provider before the course begins. They will assess needs by consulting the student, their previous school and (if appropriate, and with permission) parents. Over the age of 16, the student should be fully involved in the discussions around special educational needs support.

The college must explain what support they will provide to meet the person’s individual learning needs. They should regularly review this support, keep records of the student’s progress and discuss this with them.

Support can include the use of additional time for tasks and exams, assistive technology, specialist tuition, note-takers and one-to-one or small group learning support.

The British Dyslexia Association offers advice and guidance on how students should be supported, which is available at: https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/advice/educators.

Disability Rights UK have information available which describes how reasonable adjustments can be provided for students with disabilities. This can be accessed at: https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/resources/adjustments-disabled-students-and-apprentices.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to improve specialist teacher training on supporting dyslexic students in the post-16 education sector.

We are the department for opportunity. As part of this we are committed to help every learner to achieve and thrive, through excellent teaching and high standards. This includes a focus on children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The department has put measures in place to support students with SEND. All publicly funded further education (FE) teacher training routes are required to support trainees to achieve the learning and skills teacher occupational standard. The standard requires trainee teachers to actively promote equality of opportunity and inclusion by responding to the needs of all students, including children and young people with SEND and/or dyslexia.

The department has also continued to offer financial incentives for those undertaking teacher training for the FE sector in priority subject areas. We confirmed that FE teacher training bursaries will be offered for a further year, the 2025/26 academic year. We have set the bursaries for SEND at £15,000.

All education and training providers, including technical colleges, and other related service providers, have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, so they are not disadvantaged compared to non-disabled students. This includes people with a learning difficulty. This duty is set out under section 20 of the Equality Act 2010, which is available here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/section/20.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
3rd Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure early diagnosis of dyslexia in schools.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.

We are providing £1 billion more for high needs budgets in 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND.

Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.

Schools should apply a ‘graduated approach’ to identify a child’s needs, plan appropriate support, implement that support and review it regularly to ensure it continues to meet their identified needs. Through this, schools should develop personalised approaches to supporting the unique needs of individual pupils. Schools should involve pupils and their parents in this process, taking their views into consideration.

The core content framework and early career framework, for trainee and Early Career Teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025 will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of initial teacher training and those delivering training to ECTs to create their curricula. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND.

Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high-quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools.

The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. As part of the continuous professional development provided by the English Hubs, the Reading Ambition for All programme has been launched to improve outcomes for children who need additional support with reading, including those with SEND.

In the South West there are 6 English Hubs: Cornerstone, Ilsham, Kernow, Mangotsfield, Ramsbury and ‘Unlocking Excellence’. This academic year, they are supporting a total of 130 schools with the Reading Ambition for All programme.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
3rd Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support children diagnosed with dyslexia in Yeovil constituency.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.

We are providing £1 billion more for high needs budgets in 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND.

Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.

Schools should apply a ‘graduated approach’ to identify a child’s needs, plan appropriate support, implement that support and review it regularly to ensure it continues to meet their identified needs. Through this, schools should develop personalised approaches to supporting the unique needs of individual pupils. Schools should involve pupils and their parents in this process, taking their views into consideration.

The core content framework and early career framework, for trainee and Early Career Teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025 will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of initial teacher training and those delivering training to ECTs to create their curricula. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND.

Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high-quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools.

The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. As part of the continuous professional development provided by the English Hubs, the Reading Ambition for All programme has been launched to improve outcomes for children who need additional support with reading, including those with SEND.

In the South West there are 6 English Hubs: Cornerstone, Ilsham, Kernow, Mangotsfield, Ramsbury and ‘Unlocking Excellence’. This academic year, they are supporting a total of 130 schools with the Reading Ambition for All programme.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
3rd Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to improve (a) inclusivity and (b) expertise on dyslexia in mainstream schools in (i) Somerset and (ii) the South West.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.

We are providing £1 billion more for high needs budgets in 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND.

Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.

Schools should apply a ‘graduated approach’ to identify a child’s needs, plan appropriate support, implement that support and review it regularly to ensure it continues to meet their identified needs. Through this, schools should develop personalised approaches to supporting the unique needs of individual pupils. Schools should involve pupils and their parents in this process, taking their views into consideration.

The core content framework and early career framework, for trainee and Early Career Teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025 will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of initial teacher training and those delivering training to ECTs to create their curricula. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND.

Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high-quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools.

The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. As part of the continuous professional development provided by the English Hubs, the Reading Ambition for All programme has been launched to improve outcomes for children who need additional support with reading, including those with SEND.

In the South West there are 6 English Hubs: Cornerstone, Ilsham, Kernow, Mangotsfield, Ramsbury and ‘Unlocking Excellence’. This academic year, they are supporting a total of 130 schools with the Reading Ambition for All programme.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
3rd Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of support for dyslexic students in mainstream education in (a) Somerset and (b) the South West.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.

We are providing £1 billion more for high needs budgets in 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND.

Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.

Schools should apply a ‘graduated approach’ to identify a child’s needs, plan appropriate support, implement that support and review it regularly to ensure it continues to meet their identified needs. Through this, schools should develop personalised approaches to supporting the unique needs of individual pupils. Schools should involve pupils and their parents in this process, taking their views into consideration.

The core content framework and early career framework, for trainee and Early Career Teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025 will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of initial teacher training and those delivering training to ECTs to create their curricula. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND.

Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high-quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools.

The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. As part of the continuous professional development provided by the English Hubs, the Reading Ambition for All programme has been launched to improve outcomes for children who need additional support with reading, including those with SEND.

In the South West there are 6 English Hubs: Cornerstone, Ilsham, Kernow, Mangotsfield, Ramsbury and ‘Unlocking Excellence’. This academic year, they are supporting a total of 130 schools with the Reading Ambition for All programme.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
4th Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential (a) administrative and (b) psychological impact of children not being on school registers on home schooling families of neurodivergent children.

There is currently no duty on parents to notify local authorities when they have elected to home educate their child. The ‘Children Not in School’ measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will help remedy this by placing a duty on local authorities to maintain compulsory registers of all children not in school in their areas, and accompanying duties on parents and out-of-school education providers to provide information for these registers.

Information recorded on registers could include whether an eligible child has special educational needs. This would enable local authorities to provide tailored support to these children and their families, and for a more accurate assessment to be made of the impact on these children of not being on school registers. Statutory guidance will be produced to go alongside the measures, which will set out requirements for local authorities and parents.

The department has conducted an Equalities Impact Assessment on the ‘Children Not in School’ measures. As part of this assessment, we have considered the potential impact on children with special educational needs and disabilities, including those who are neurodivergent.

Stephen Morgan
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
29th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the potential cost to local authorities of the provisions of the Children’s Wellbeing and School Bill.

I refer the hon. member for Yeovil to the answer of 20 January to Question 24930.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
29th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to reduce bullying in schools.

I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil to the answer of 23 January 2025 to Question 22877.

Stephen Morgan
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
29th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the cost of home schooling a child for (a) parents and (b) local education authorities in this financial year.

The department does not hold data on the cost of elective home education for parents or local authorities.

As set out in our elective home education guidance, parents who home educate assume the full financial responsibility for their child’s education, since a state-funded school place is available for their child.

The new duties created by the Children Not in School measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will include the creation of a duty on local authorities to create and maintain Children Not in School registers and a duty to provide support to home educating families, should it be requested. Local authority delivery will be funded by central government in line with the New Burdens Doctrine. To determine the level of funding, the department will carry out a new burdens assessment.

Stephen Morgan
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
29th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help improve (a) vocational education and (b) apprenticeships in agriculture.

The government is developing a comprehensive strategy for post‐16 education and skills to break down barriers to opportunity, support the development of a skilled workforce in all sectors, including agriculture and drive economic growth through our industrial strategy.

We have established Skills England to ensure we have the highly trained workforce required to deliver the national, regional and local skills needs of the next decade. It will ensure that the skills system is clear and navigable for individuals, both young people and older adults, strengthening careers pathways into jobs across the economy.

The department’s reformed growth and skills offer, which will have apprenticeships at its core, will deliver greater flexibility for learners and employers. As a key first step towards greater flexibility, we are introducing new foundation apprenticeships for young people as well as shorter apprenticeships. These will help more people learn high-quality skills at work and fuel innovation in businesses across the country. During autumn 2024, Skills England engaged with employers and other key stakeholders on initial priorities for the new offer. The department will set out more detail on the offer in due course.

The department will continue to support learners who wish to have a career in agriculture through its technical education offer, with a range of high-quality qualifications and apprenticeship opportunities at all levels. We recognise the crucial role that land-based colleges and providers play in delivering the skills training and innovation needed for the current and future workforce.

Employers have developed several apprenticeships in the agriculture sector to support them to develop skilled workforces, including general farm worker (level 2), livestock unit technical (level 3) and assistant farm manager (level 4).

21 T Levels are being delivered in a range of in-demand subjects. T Levels in Agriculture, Land Management and Production, and Animal Care and Management are now being taught across the country, providing students with the core knowledge and skills needed for entry to a range of occupations in the rural sector.

Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs), which are occupation-focussed level 4-5 qualifications, are approved and quality marked as providing the skills demanded in the workplace by employers. To date, 263 HTQs have been approved for delivery across a range of occupational routes, with the Agriculture, Environmental and Animal Care route becoming available for first teach from September 2025.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
27th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to encourage upskilling for tradespeople.

The department is developing a comprehensive strategy for post‐16 education and skills, to break down barriers to opportunity, support the development of a skilled workforce and drive economic growth through our Industrial Strategy.

My noble Friend, the Minister for Skills’ keynote speech on 12 November at the Association of Colleges conference recommitted to this pledge and to working collaboratively with the sector to bring forward this strategy, building on the Curriculum and Assessment Review, the introduction of Skills England, and with a continued focus on lifelong learning.

The newly established Skills England will provide authoritative assessments of national and regional skills needs now and for the future, combining the best available statistical data with insights generated from employers and other key stakeholders.

It will also ensure that there is a comprehensive suite of apprenticeships, training and technical qualifications available that are aligned with what employers need, including those in the construction industry.

The construction sector is vital in driving economic prosperity and providing career opportunities for people at all ages and stages of their careers. Construction employers can benefit from a wide range of government-funded programmes, including apprenticeships, T Levels, sector-based work academies, Skills Bootcamps, and Free Courses for Jobs.

Employers in the construction sector have developed a number of apprenticeships to help meet their skills needs. T Levels are a high-quality technical option for 16 to 19-year-olds, offering classroom learning with hands-on experience and a built-in 45-day industry placement. This means students spend 20% of their time working with an employer, gaining the skills and confidence they need for the workplace.

The department is working across government and in partnership with industry through the Construction Skills Delivery Group to ensure that our skills offer meets the needs of individuals and employers in the sector.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
8th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 2.62 of the Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, published on 30 October 2024, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the application of the standard VAT rate to independent schools on the teaching of (a) music and (b) the arts in such schools; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing support to such schools for such teaching.

HM Treasury (HMT) is responsible for VAT policy. HMT has published its assessment of the impacts of removing the VAT exemption that applied to private school fees, which can be found on here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees/ac8c20ce-4824-462d-b206-26a567724643#who-is-likely-to-be-affected.

As this sets out, the government expects the impacts of these changes on the private and state sectors to be small.

The government's costings have been scrutinised by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility.

As set out in HMT’s response to the technical consultation in the VAT changes, performing arts schools that offer full-time education to children of compulsory school age and/or 16 to 19-year-olds for a charge will remain in scope of this policy. This is to ensure fairness and consistency across all schools that provide education services and vocational training for a charge. In addition to providing performing arts education, when educating children of compulsory school age, these institutions will also provide academic education. An exemption from the VAT rules would therefore be unfair to other private schools.

The department provides means-tested bursaries for eligible families as part of the Music and Dance Scheme (MDS) if their child has a place at any one of eight performing arts private schools. For the 2024/25 academic year, lower income families will receive additional support to ensure the total cost of their parental contributions do not rise from January 2025 as a result of the VAT change. This will benefit around half of the families with an MDS bursary for their child.

Stephen Morgan
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
6th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the capacity of state schools to accommodate a potential increase in students transferring from private schools; and whether students transferring from private schools in rural areas will be guaranteed a place at their nearest state school.

The government predicts that 35,000 pupils will move into UK state schools in the long-term steady state following the removal of the VAT exemption to school fees. The government expects approximately 2,900 pupils will move into state schools in England following the business rates policy taking effect. As such, the impact on the state education system as a whole is expected to be very small.

This increase in the state sector represents less than 0.5% of total UK state school pupils, of which there are over nine million. The number expected to move before the end of the 2024/25 academic year is around 3,000. The government expects the associated revenue costs of pupils entering the state sector to steadily increase to a peak of around £300 million after several years.

Local authorities have statutory duties to ensure that there are sufficient school places for children in their area. They must also, on request, provide information to parents about the availability of places in schools in their area.

Parents that require a state-funded place for their child must apply to the admission authority of the school for which they want to apply. Admission authorities must deal with applications in line with their published admissions policy. Admissions policies can prioritise applicants on a range of factors, including by distance from home. However, no pupil is guaranteed a place at their nearest state-funded school.

Stephen Morgan
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
31st Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 4.11 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October 2024, HC 295, whether the £69 million to continue delivery of a network of Family Hubs will be used to include (a) more and (b) all local authorities in the programme.

The Budget announcement includes £69 million to continue delivery of a network of Family Hubs. The announcement is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/autumn-budget-2024.

Decisions on the breakdown of this funding are yet to be taken. The department will provide further details in due course.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
7th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with large supermarkets on the potential impact of (a) food pricing and (b) supermarkets' buying practices on food producers.

Defra regularly engages with supermarkets and producers about a range of measures they can take to ensure the availability of affordable food.  These measures include maintaining value ranges, price matching and price freezing.  However, it is for each individual food retailer to make commercial decisions regarding the products in their stores, as the Government does not interfere in day-to-day operations.

The Government is firmly committed to ensuring food producers receive a fair price for their products, and to tackling unfairness in the supply chain wherever it exists.

On 13 March, Fair Dealing Regulations for the pig sector were introduced and are currently progressing through the parliamentary process. Similar regulations for the eggs and fresh produce sectors will follow, with the Government prepared to intervene in any sector where fairness issues are identified.

Where farmers sell directly to retailers, their agreements will be covered within the scope of the sectoral regulations that we are introducing through powers in the Agriculture Act 2020.

Additionally, the Government is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to nutritious, affordable food. The recently launched Food Strategy will look to outline measures to make healthy food accessible and affordable for the whole population.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
30th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of supporting the introduction of bottle deposit schemes in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) other rural communities.

The Government has engaged with stakeholders as we developed policy for the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drink containers, including two public consultations: the first in 2019 and the second in 2021. 83% of the 2,590 responses to the 2021 consultation supported a DRS. We also published the Final Impact Assessment on DRS for England and Northern Ireland in November 2024.

The Deposit Management Organisation, who will run the scheme, is legally required to ensure there is a comprehensive returns network, so that rural communities, like Yeovil, can easily redeem their deposits and people have convenient access to a return point wherever they live.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
30th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessments he has made of the potential merits of supporting greater education in schools on (a) littering and (b) reducing littering.

Littering is a crime that blights communities and the environment. Local councils are usually best placed to respond to littering. They have a range of enforcement tools including fixed penalty notices and prosecution to help them meet their duty to keep public areas clear or litter and rubbish. This Government is considering what further steps are needed to help local authorities tackle litter.

In the meantime, we are tackling two of the more common sources of litter. The sale of single-use vapes will be banned from 1 June 2025 and a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will go live in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland in October 2027. The DRS will introduce a redeemable deposit on single-use in-scope drinks containers.

No assessment has been made of the primary causes of litter in rural communities, the potential impact of litter on public health in rural communities or the potential merits of supporting greater education in schools on littering.

The Eco-Schools programme, run by Keep Britain Tidy, works with schools to help change littering habits. As part of the programme, in 2023/24 over 100,000 pupils participated in litter picks collecting 27,000 bags of rubbish and delivering over 3,000 litter picks in their communities.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
30th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take reduce the public health impact of litter in rural communities.

Littering is a crime that blights communities and the environment. Local councils are usually best placed to respond to littering. They have a range of enforcement tools including fixed penalty notices and prosecution to help them meet their duty to keep public areas clear or litter and rubbish. This Government is considering what further steps are needed to help local authorities tackle litter.

In the meantime, we are tackling two of the more common sources of litter. The sale of single-use vapes will be banned from 1 June 2025 and a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will go live in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland in October 2027. The DRS will introduce a redeemable deposit on single-use in-scope drinks containers.

No assessment has been made of the primary causes of litter in rural communities, the potential impact of litter on public health in rural communities or the potential merits of supporting greater education in schools on littering.

The Eco-Schools programme, run by Keep Britain Tidy, works with schools to help change littering habits. As part of the programme, in 2023/24 over 100,000 pupils participated in litter picks collecting 27,000 bags of rubbish and delivering over 3,000 litter picks in their communities.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
30th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of litter on public health in rural communities.

Littering is a crime that blights communities and the environment. Local councils are usually best placed to respond to littering. They have a range of enforcement tools including fixed penalty notices and prosecution to help them meet their duty to keep public areas clear or litter and rubbish. This Government is considering what further steps are needed to help local authorities tackle litter.

In the meantime, we are tackling two of the more common sources of litter. The sale of single-use vapes will be banned from 1 June 2025 and a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will go live in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland in October 2027. The DRS will introduce a redeemable deposit on single-use in-scope drinks containers.

No assessment has been made of the primary causes of litter in rural communities, the potential impact of litter on public health in rural communities or the potential merits of supporting greater education in schools on littering.

The Eco-Schools programme, run by Keep Britain Tidy, works with schools to help change littering habits. As part of the programme, in 2023/24 over 100,000 pupils participated in litter picks collecting 27,000 bags of rubbish and delivering over 3,000 litter picks in their communities.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
30th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to help tackle the sources of littering in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) rural communities.

Littering is a crime that blights communities and the environment. Local councils are usually best placed to respond to littering. They have a range of enforcement tools including fixed penalty notices and prosecution to help them meet their duty to keep public areas clear or litter and rubbish. This Government is considering what further steps are needed to help local authorities tackle litter.

In the meantime, we are tackling two of the more common sources of litter. The sale of single-use vapes will be banned from 1 June 2025 and a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will go live in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland in October 2027. The DRS will introduce a redeemable deposit on single-use in-scope drinks containers.

No assessment has been made of the primary causes of litter in rural communities, the potential impact of litter on public health in rural communities or the potential merits of supporting greater education in schools on littering.

The Eco-Schools programme, run by Keep Britain Tidy, works with schools to help change littering habits. As part of the programme, in 2023/24 over 100,000 pupils participated in litter picks collecting 27,000 bags of rubbish and delivering over 3,000 litter picks in their communities.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
3rd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with farmers in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) south Somerset on the closure of the Sustainable Farming Initiative.

Defra ministers are engaging with farmers and stakeholders regarding the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI). On the SFI, Ministers have met specifically with the NFU, National Beef Association, British Poultry Council, Soil Association, Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers, National Pig Association, National Sheep Association, British Egg Industry Council, National Federation of Young Farmers, British Free Range Egg Producers Association, LAA, Tenant Farmers Association and Country, Land and Business Association.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
2nd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish public guidance on the process for withdrawing certificates of exemption for dogs wrongly registered as XL Bullies.

We are currently working to develop a withdrawal scheme so that owners who no longer believe that their dog is an XL Bully can apply to have their certificate of exemption for their dog withdrawn. Information about this process will be available soon.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
26th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will reconvene the Responsible Dog Ownership Working Group.

Defra is continuing to work with the police, local authorities and animal welfare groups to explore measures to reduce dog attacks and promote responsible dog ownership across all breeds of dog. We are currently considering the best way to take forward the Responsible Dog Ownership Taskforce.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
12th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution by the hon. Member for Yeovil during the Ministerial Statement on Sustainable Farming Incentive on 12 March 2025, if he will visit farmers in Yeovil constituency to discuss this matter.

The Secretary of State believes in the importance of continued engagement with the sector and has spoken with several farmers since his appointment. He will be happy to speak to those in the Yeovil Constituency.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
3rd Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the Flood Re-Programme to include properties built after 2009.

The Flood Re scheme was established to ensure UK households living in properties at high risk of flooding can access affordable home insurance. Homes built after 2009 were not included within the scope of the scheme due to changes to planning policy in 2006 specifying that inappropriate development in floodplains should be avoided.

Where development is necessary in a flood risk area, it should be made flood resistant and resilient and safe for their lifetime, without increasing flood risk elsewhere.

Flood Re’s second Quinquennial Review was published in July 2024. Consideration was given to extending the scope of the Scheme including homes built after 2009. Flood Re determined that the scheme should not currently be extended, citing the lack of substantive evidence of a systemic market failure. There are currently no plans to extend the scope of the scheme, however Defra regularly reviews all policies, including eligibility for Flood Re.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
21st Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to take steps to help protect homeowners from property devaluations in flood prone areas of South Somerset.

As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, a record £2.65 billion will be invested over two years in better protecting 52,000 properties by March 2026. Around 1,000 projects will receive funding in 24/25 and 25/26.

Property Flood Resilience (PFR) can provide homes and businesses the tools to manage the impact that flooding has on their property, reducing damage and repair costs and enabling quicker recovery.

Working with Defra, the Environment Agency has commissioned an independent review of national Property Level Flood Resilience. This is expected to report in the autumn and will provide an Action Plan, that will enable growth of the PFR market so that individuals and businesses can and will take their own action. It will also include actions that build confidence in the products and installations available and ensure information on PFR measures is reliable and accessible.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
21st Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the contribution of water treatment facilities in managing excess water and flooding in South Somerset.

Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs) are new and vital for setting out how the water industry plans to extend, improve and maintain a robust and resilient drainage and wastewater system in the face of pressures from climate change, urban development and a growing population. Wessex Water's DWMP sets out how they plan to deliver this for the next 25 years. They will be updating this plan shortly and will consult publicly. The Environment Agency is working with OFWAT and Defra to ensure these plans deliver.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
21st Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to help protect houses built on flood prone land in South Somerset.

As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, a record £2.65 billion will be invested over two years in better protecting 52,000 properties by March 2026. Around 1,000 projects will receive funding in 24/25 and 25/26.

The Government has committed to ensure we are building more high-quality, well-designed and sustainable homes and creating places that increase climate resilience and promote nature recovery. Flood risk is an important consideration in the planning system.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided by directing development away from areas at highest risk, including floodplains. Where development is necessary, and where there are no suitable sites available in areas with a lower risk of flooding, local planning authorities and developers should ensure development is appropriately flood resilient and resistant, safe for its users for the development’s lifetime, will not increase flood risk overall and will provide wider sustainability benefits.

The Government published a revised NPPF in December 2024. This clarified how the sequential test should be applied to development in areas of flood risk and encouraged the use of sustainable drainage systems in new development. The Government will consider whether further changes are required to manage flood risk, coastal change and sustainable drainage systems provision through the planning system when we consult on further planning reform, including a set of national policies related to decision making, this spring.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
21st Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential risks of building on flood-prone land in (a) Somerset and (b) the South West.

As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, a record £2.65 billion will be invested over two years in better protecting 52,000 properties by March 2026. Around 1,000 projects will receive funding in 24/25 and 25/26.

The Government has committed to ensure we are building more high-quality, well-designed and sustainable homes and creating places that increase climate resilience and promote nature recovery. Flood risk is an important consideration in the planning system.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided by directing development away from areas at highest risk, including floodplains. Where development is necessary, and where there are no suitable sites available in areas with a lower risk of flooding, local planning authorities and developers should ensure development is appropriately flood resilient and resistant, safe for its users for the development’s lifetime, will not increase flood risk overall and will provide wider sustainability benefits.

The Government published a revised NPPF in December 2024. This clarified how the sequential test should be applied to development in areas of flood risk and encouraged the use of sustainable drainage systems in new development. The Government will consider whether further changes are required to manage flood risk, coastal change and sustainable drainage systems provision through the planning system when we consult on further planning reform, including a set of national policies related to decision making, this spring.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
21st Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the support Government has provided (a) before, (b) during and (c) after flooding instances in (i) Somerset and (ii) the South West.

As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, a record £2.65 billion will be invested over two years in building, maintaining and repairing flood defences, better protecting 52,000 properties by March 2026. Around 1,000 projects will receive funding in 24/25 and 25/26.

Defra works with National Resilience, part of the Home Office, to maintain the Flood Rescue National Asset Register, a list of over 100 teams from the Fire and Rescue Service and voluntary organisations with boats and other assets and who are available for national deployment in England, through Local Resilience Forum (LRF) coordination

Government recovery support after flooding is only provided in exceptional circumstances. The recent flooding impact did not trigger the Flood Recovery Framework or Property Flood Resilience Grant. For context, the framework was activated after storms Babet (October 2023) and Henk (January 2024), affecting over 8,500 homes and businesses.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
21st Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to help residents protect their property from frequent flooding in South Somerset.

The Government is investing a record £2.65 billion over two years in building, maintaining and repairing our flood and coastal defences, better protecting 52,000 properties. As part of this investment, £72 million is being reprioritised into maintaining Environment Agency flood defences in 2025/26. This reprioritisation will benefit a further 14,500 properties.

Property flood resilience (PFR) is delivered by multiple risk management authorities. We have a local programme of PFR across Somerset to provide resilience to individual properties where a capital scheme is not viable. The Environment Agency have installed resilience measures to properties to move them out of the highest risk of flooding.

A consultation will be launched in the coming months which will include a review of the existing flood policy funding formula to ensure a wider range of measures (such as property level resilience and nature-based solutions) can be supported to improve flood resilience for businesses and rural and coastal communities.

The consultation will be open to everyone, and we will be inviting all stakeholders, including organisations that play a role in flood resilience, community groups and members of the public, to be part of the consultation.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)