Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of (a) trends in the level and (b) the potential impact of school meal debt on families in Yeovil constituency.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

To help break down barriers to opportunity and tackle child poverty, the government will be extending free school meals (FSM) to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026. This will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty and put £500 back in families’ pockets, supporting parents in decisive action to improve lives ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy. Department for Work and Pensions data shows that 5,450 children in Yeovil will be eligible to receive FSM when provision is extended from September 2026.

This autumn, the Child Poverty Strategy will deliver measures to tackle the structural and root causes of child poverty. The Taskforce is considering all available levers to reduce child poverty and recognises the importance of financial resilience for low-income families. Increasing financial resilience is one of the four key themes for the strategy, and in February the Taskforce met with external experts to discuss this topic specifically.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of recognising (a) mental health and (b) learning difficulties as separate protected characteristics to disability.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

I refer the hon Member to the answer given to PQ 64372

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to support the cider industry in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) south Somerset.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The cider industry makes a vital contribution to our economy and society, which is recognised in the tax system.

The current duty system supports the cider industry through Draught Relief (DR), which ensures products served on draught pay less duty, and Small Producer Relief (SPR), which permits smaller producers to pay reduced duty rates.

Eligible producers making cider products below 8.5 per cent alcohol by volume can claim both DR and SPR.

At Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced a duty cut on qualifying draught products – approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This reduces alcohol producers’ duty bills by over £85m a year and has cut 1p off the duty on an average strength pint.

The Chancellor also increased the generosity of the discount available for small cider-makers, by increasing the relative value of the SPR discount, compared to the main duty rates, for both draught and non-draught products. To illustrate, a cider-maker producing 10,000 litres of pure alcohol a year received a 52% discount on the main rate before the Budget, and receives a 53% discount now.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking with farmers in (a) Yeovil constituency (b) Somerset and (c) the UK to help increase the UK's food security.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Food security is national security. We need a resilient and healthy food system, that works with nature and supports British farmers, fishers and food producers. As part of the Government’s Plan for Change we are delivering on the Government’s New Deal for Farmers which includes a raft of new policies and major investment to boost profits for farmers.

We have allocated a record of £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production in England over this parliament. This includes funding for Environmental Land Management schemes, which amongst others, will deliver improvements to sustainable food production and the environment, in Somerset and across the country.

Furthermore, UK consumers have access through international trade to food products that cannot be produced here, or at least not on a year-round basis. This supplements domestic production and also ensures that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply. Defra works with industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the withdrawal of non-specialist spelling and grammar software for university students receiving Disabled Students' Allowance support.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil to the answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 71715.

Conduct of Samir Zitouni and Stephen Crean on the 18.25 Doncaster to Kings Cross train on 1 November 2025

Eligibility variations in access to IVF

Burial of stillborn babies in unmarked graves

Taxi accessibility for disabled people

Protections for animals and people

Local government and social care

Fossil fuel company profits

Impact of extreme weather on farming

Government proposals for mandatory digital ID